With the insane recent popularity of horror properties centered on kids, such as the IT franchise or Stranger Things, it is not surprising that every studio is taking a close look at the intellectual property they have at their disposal to see what might be ripe for a reboot or adaptation. With Goosebumps already being turned into a couple of decent films, kids of the 90s could probably guess it was only a matter of time before the anthology series Are You Afraid of the Dark? was given a second life. The original series ran on Nickelodeon for five seasons from 1991-1996 before returning for an additional two seasons from 1999-2000. Anyone who has seen it recently can admit it was a bit of a cheesefest, but it had a way of crafting the perfect situations to invoke a real sense of dread in the kids that were watching it at the time. The series holds a special place in the hearts of those who grew up watching it through the cracks of their fingers, so this reboot series had big shoes to fill when it debuted last fall.
This new three-episode event series honors the legacy of the original series while forging its own path. Instead of picking up with the anthology storytelling structure, this iteration of Are You Afraid of the Dark? follows a singular story arc throughout. We first meet Rachel (Lyliana Wray, Top Gun: Maverick), a shy, young girl who has just moved to a new town in Oregon, as she experiences a terrible nightmare of a demented carnival with a malevolent ringmaster. At least, she believes it to be a dream. She perseveres through all of the typical trials and tribulations of being a new kid at the school until she makes an unexpected connection with Graham (Jeremy Taylor, IT: Chapter 1 & 2), who takes notice of her spooky sketches. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Graham is a member of The Midnight Society, a secret group that comes together to share spine-tingling stories deep in the woods. The other members consist of Gavin (Sam Ashe Arnold, Best.Worst.Weekend.Ever), Akiko (Miya Cech, Always Be My Maybe) and Louise (Tamara Smart, Artemis Fowl). The Midnight Society is the bedrock of the series, and the young actors are all very charismatic and natural in their individual roles.
When it comes time for Rachel to tell her initiation story to see if she worthy of joining their ranks, she draws from the visions that have been haunting her dreams, complete with the inclusion of a missing classmate. Everyone is sufficiently spooked, but when details of her story start to clash with their reality, the gang must work together to find a way to stop the evil Mr. Tophat (Rafael Casal, Blindspotting) from wreaking havoc in their reality. This approach diverges radically from the original series, where the terrors were always confined to the stories. The execution of this new approach works really well for a one-time event. Casal seems to be having an absolute blast in this villainous role that is truly unsettling. There is a lot of imagery that pushes the boundary of what parents might believe children can handle, but it allows the show to function as something that is not pandering to the little ones and adults can still enjoy.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? accomplishes the delicate balance of entertaining the Stranger Things generation while not forgetting the roots from which it came. The show gets more personal than any other time before, but that makes the stakes all the more high when facing evil incarnate. This three-episode event series is the perfect addition to any Halloween season viewing when you need some well-executed scares that will not permanently scar the little ones. There has obviously been a great amount of care put into this show with its immaculate production design and a script that is a lot of fun without being too cheesy. If they are going to maintain this level of quality, the next installment of this series will be at the top of my watchlist as soon as it debuts.
Video Quality
Are You Afraid of the Dark? comes to DVD with a 480p transfer that is quite beautiful for the format. This DVD offers up an impressive amount of detail from the production design to clothing. Compression artifacts are present without being overwhelming. Black levels are quite strong with only a minimal amount of blocking. Colors are nice and fairly vibrant, especially in the visually lush carnival setting with flashy colors abound. Skin tones look natural, and there are some decent facial details present. This presentation is just about as good as a DVD can look. This would have made for an excellent looking Blu-Ray, though.
Audio Quality
The DVD provides a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that serves the show incredibly well. The name of the game here is jump scares, and the track offers numerous, powerful moments to enact such tactics. The track utilizes all of the channels to the full effect by creating a creepy atmosphere ripe for thrills. Dialogue is crisp in clear within the center channel of the mix. This is never overpowered by any sound effects or music that crop up in the course of the series. Directionality is rendered accurately so that sounds originate from all the natural spots. Environmental sounds such as wind add a dynamic touch to the proceedings. Overall, fans of the series should be very please by the audio presentation.
Special Features
In addition to the main Limited Series Event, this DVD also includes three episodes from the classic series. As someone who owns the MOD DVDs of the original series, these episodes look pretty much exactly the same quality wise as those previously released editions.
- The Tale of Laughing In The Dark (Season 1, Episode 3): An early episode that takes place at an amusement park with a creepy clown named Zeebo.
- The Tale of The Ghastly Grinner (Season 4, Episode 9): A frightening comic book gets a little too real as an entity known as The Ghastly Grinner turns his victims into drooling zombies. It’s up to a young, talented artist to rewrite the story before it is too late. This one has a supremely creepy villain that might just give you nightmares.
- The Tale of The Dead Man’s Float (Season 5, Episode 1): The premiere of season 5 finds two students getting more than they bargained for when advocate for their school to reopen an abandoned pool. This features a young Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up).
Final Thoughts
This reboot of Are You Afraid of the Dark? proves there is still a place for this property in modern times. The way in which it honored the source material while modernizing it enough to entertain new viewers was executed beautifully. Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has given this a pretty solid A/V presentation, even if a Blu-Ray would have been preferred. The fact that they threw in some classic episodes is a nice touch, as well. Those who are looking for a fun, spooky addition to their Halloween viewing should definitely check this out. Recommended
Are You Afraid Of The Dark?: The Limited Series Event is currently available to purchase on DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
