Good concept, poorly executed.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There is always something exciting and fun about telling horror stories around a campfire. Whether it's the good company, the fire, or simply the fact that you are outside in the dark, surrounded by the woods which is pretty unsettling, each of the stories we hear are always unsettling because they fueled our imaginations and feed off of our fear and fascination with the unknown.This show is my third favorite anthology horror and it's one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I really put this show high in my book because this is another childhood gem of mine, I've seen this show when I was about 10 years old. At the time I wasn't really into scary stories let alone wasn't even a fan of the horror genre. Nor was I even familiar with anthology horror. But this show was a pleasant surprise, it was scary at least from a kid's prospective but it was also fascinating and fun because with each story and episode it was always something different, you just never knew what to expect which I loved because finding that good or great episode/story that sticks with you was like finding buried treasure.I really love the format of the show, from how it starts out where it's a campfire with an ensemble cast of kids and each of them had a story to tell and threw magic dust on the fire to start us off. This sequence in a way got the whole stories in the campfire trend going again as some of my friends late at night would go out on the weekend and listen or tell horror stories by the fire. But the ensemble of kids were solid, despite all horror hosts by their nature, each of the kids actually had a distinctive persona's which kinda make them all stick out but also shows they have different styles to their story telling.I even really like that opening and the end theme song which is one of my favorite theme songs of all time. That opening is still one of the creepiest and scariest openings I've ever seen, it's just as creepy as the opening for the TV show "Tales from the Darkside" You just see a lot of random items all in the darkness along with some eerie tune which just adds to your chills because in each image your completely in the dark (no pun intended) from a swing that is still slightly swings is it a gust of wind or is there a ghost. Down to a key hole with some light coming out and possibly hearing footsteps, is there a sinister presence coming near.It's true the only bad thing about the show is some effects aren't that good, but hey the show was done on a modest budget and it's a prime time kids show so they had to work with it. However what really gives this show fire is in the stories themselves and most of them are great and memorable. And most of these stories had minimum effects and also there is no gore not just because this was a kids show but because it didn't need it because it was using atmosphere, mood, and content to deliver the scares, and that's fine by me it is once again an example showing that horror doesn't have to rely on gore to be good and scary.To me this show was sort of modern day Brothers Grimm and Folklore, most of those stories despite being in the realm of fantasy all also contained elements of horror, but also for a few morality. Four of my favorites are "The Pinball Wizard" that one was a fun one, it was pretty much similar to "The Biship of Battle" tale from the 80's film "Nightmares" just like in that tale, the protagonists had a gaming addiction and unfortunately has to play for keeps as the game comes to life. It was just awesome how the mall was used as a battle ground like in the film "Dawn of the Dead".Another of course is "The Prom Queen" which is a modern take on an urban legend, in a way it could of been an episode of "Koljak the Night Stalker" as this story had investigative intrigue.Third is "The Dark Dragon" which is kinda a dark version of Cinderella, this almost looked like the kind of tale Croninberg could've directed as we see some bodily horror, the make up effects are really on par.And my favorite "Tale of the Dream Girl" which is emotional and like the film "Angel Heart" will have a twist you won't see coming.I even like the fact that some of the story's had a reoccurring character or two from the creepy but blackly funny Dr. Fink but my favorite one is Sardo whom is kinda an colorful, eccentric and gay magician (or he just seemed that way). It was an interesting ploy for me and is something most anthology rarely do (except for the film "Trick or Treat") by interconnect characters and just showing how most of the tales are taking place in the same universe.So for kids that want to get into horror this is a good place to start, and for the adult for the kid inside it's a great nostalgic ride. Just like an eternal flame, this show's fire still burns bright.Rating: 4 stars

Are You Afraid of the Dark lasted about ten years with seven seasons. The plot follows a group of misfit outsider kids who tell ghost stories at night around a fire. They call their club the Midnight Society. Some of the stories are comedic (the tale of the Gruesome Gourmets, the Tale of the Unexpected Visitor), while others are creepy and thrilling (the Tale of the Hungry Hounds, the Tale of the Dark Music). Some have happy endings where a ghost is reunited with his\her living relation, such as the Tale of C7 and the tale of the Lonely Ghost. The stories often provide lessons in them, such as not stealing or lying, not bothering elderly people and listening to your parents (basically, don't be a bratty little jerk). Halfway through the series' time the members of the club changed to younger kids. They weren't as great but their stories remained entertaining.There are one or two episodes here and there where characters talk in flat, emotionless voices when talking about dire situations. In the pilot "Phantom Cab", the younger boy screams, "no, no, we've got to be close to town" in a blank monotone. In "Old Man Corcoran", there were two boys who said they were from the East Side, toughest place ever. Since this is a Canadian show I guess they're referring to the non-existent gangs, pimps and drug dealers in the non-existent ghettos of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Confusing.Anyway, that stuff aside, every story is original or based loosely on an urban myth from the area where the episode's story takes place. Guest stars like Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Clarissa Explains it All), are often actors/actresses in various episodes. For the most part the acting is decent, the soundtrack to each episode is different from the others and remains eerie and creepy throughout the series. It does have its nineties fashion trends and speech trends, and characters with bizarre names like 'Stig' and 'Bange'. This show also deals with teen issues like bullying, being the new kid in town, schoolwork and irresponsible parents.Overall the series is excellent. If you're going to let your kid watch My Little Pony Friendship is Magic again, don't do it, put on one of these. I certainly wouldn't recommend that kids under 7 watch this though, there are episodes with rather disturbing things in them like the Lonely Ghost, the little girl chased by bullies while her mom is away and getting locked in her room to starve to death. Over 7 years old and it's great to watch, I see adults watching it sometimes too even just for the nostalgia.

...There was "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" - a kid-friendly horror show revolving around a group of teenagers, called the Midnight Society, who sit around a campfire in the woods and tell ghost stories, and then we segued directly into each bone-chilling kid-friendly horror tale.What prompted this sudden review and stroll down memory lane is that one of Nickelodeon's adjunct cable networks is airing reruns of this great kid-friendly horror show that was most popular during the original Nickelodeon's hey-day back in the early 1990s. I was about 9 or 10 in '93 and '94, respectively, when "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" was at its peak. I remember that on Saturday nights, it was the fourth and final show (the other three were "Doug," "Rugrats," and "The Ren & Stimpy Show" - in that order) on Nick's "Snick" two-hour block. Boy, those were the good ol' days.Like those other great shows, Nickelodeon quickly descended into idiocy (and continues doing so as I write this, although some credibility has been restored with "Avatar: The Last Airbender") when it began taking many of its greatest shows off the air for reasons unknown and replacing them with the likes of "Spongebob Squarepants" and other idiotic, mindless crap."Are You Afraid of the Dark?" was one of Nickelodeon's earliest and best shows. It was actually scary, but fun, and horror made just for kids. The ghost stories themselves were mostly typical good-vs.-evil-type stuff. Some episodes pushed the limits of its "kid-friendly horror" label (which, ironically enough, may have led to the show's early demise). A lot of famous teen actors (and film veterans) from the time made guest appearances in a number of different episodes, including Tatyana Ali (from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"), Danny Cooksey (from another great Nick show canceled way before its time, "Salute Your Shorts"), Melissa Joan Hart (from "Clarissa Explains it All"), Tia and Tamera Mowry (from "Sister, Sister"), Danny Tamborelli ("The Adventures of Pete & Pete"), and veteran film actor Charles S. Dutton.Of course, problems began to arise with "Are You Afraid of the Dark" due to several unfriendly cast shake-ups both early on and later in the series, and Nickelodeon tried unsuccessfully to revive the show in 1999. Also, the episodes' content seemed to get watered-down later on in the series, thus loosing that teenage horror "edge" that made it great during its early run. Another factor was that author R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" titles may have also had a hand in "Are You Afraid of the Dark's?" demise in the mid-'90s. But thankfully, nostalgia, and possibly incessant fan demand, or the upcoming Halloween season, have allowed this great kid-friendly horror show to see the light of cable network television just one more time.So, now you know one of Nickelodeon's best shows from its hey-day, and one of my personal favorite shows from its hey-day. Halloween is just around the corner, and so now it's great to go back to a time when this once-great cable network had an ounce of decency and honor and common sense left in its tank.10/10

Are You Afraid of the Dark? is based on the Nickelodeon television series about a club of kids called the Midnight Society. The members of this club entertain each other with ghost stories around a campfire. The premise of this game is that you, the game player, are attempting to gain entrance into the society by telling a ghost story of your own.It's a very clever idea, and it works very well. This is one of the first games I've played that I would wholeheartedly recommend to older kids.The story you're "telling" in this case is about Alex and Terri, a brother and sister who sneak into an abandoned old theater one night. The theater, "Orpheo's Palace," was once the venue of a famous magician of the same name. Unfortunately, the magician, his family, and his employees all disappeared or died in very mysterious and highly questionable circumstances over fifty years ago, and since then the theater has been closed.Starring: Ross Hull, Jodie Reshter, Raine Pare-Coull. Director: Jacques Laberge, Scott Peters.