13 Best episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?

If you’re a TV watcher of a certain age, chances are you were scared rotten by Canadian children’s horror series, Are You Afraid of the Dark?. The anthology show, aimed at a young demographic, saw a group of kids known as the Midnight Society gather together around a camp fire to tell spooky stories… and scare the pants off audiences!

During its initial run (1990 – 1996), the show proved popular with viewers, developed a loyal following, and ran for five seasons totalling 65 episodes. It was then later revived in 1999 for a further two seasons, adding another 26 episodes onto the total, before being revived again in 2019 with more seasons and yet more episodes.

Now, whether you watched the show originally, or it passed you by, Are You Afraid of the Dark? offered bite-sized instalments of horror. It was the sort of show that was easy to dip into, often quite creepy, and always worth a revisit.

And the best way to tackle the terror of Are You Afraid of the Dark? is to dive head-first into the best episodes. Below is a run-through of the top 13 episodes of the show, which you should certainly check out for a few scares.

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The Tale of Laughing in the Dark (1992)

First up is an absolute stone-cold classic from the show’s very first season. The episode is The Tale of Laughing in the Dark – a macabre story about a haunted funhouse and a sinister clown.

In the story, teenager Josh visits a funhouse, where he promptly steals the nose from a clown statue that is part of the attraction. Why? Because Josh is a teen, and teens do stupid things.

But Josh soon comes to regret his actions when Zeebo the clown begins to stalk him. Zeebo wants his nose back, and unless Josh complies, something sinister could happen.

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The Tale of the Phone Police (1994)

Next up, is The Tale of the Phone Police, which once again features a teenager making a very bad decision. This time around it’s pint-sized poppet Jake O’Brien who makes a prank phone call he lives to regret.

The call attracts the attention of the Phone Police, who have the ability to erase someone’s existence. And the one thing you most certainly don’t want to do is attract the attention of the Phone Police.

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The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float (1995)

This next episode is a very creepy, and very memorable story from Are You Afraid of the Dark?. The episode is The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float, which includes some very terrifying imagery (especially for a children’s show).

The episode focuses on two kids who discover a horrifying secret connected to an abandoned swimming pool at their school. Once again, once the kids uncover the secret, they wish they knew nothing at all.

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The Tale of Apartment 214 (1994)

In this next episode, The Tale of Apartment 214, a young girl and her mother have a brush with the afterlife when they move into a new apartment. As they soon come to discover, their next door neighbour may be hiding a spooky secret.  

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The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner (1994)

A ghoulish, grinning villain takes centre stage in this next episode: The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner. The episode centres around a comic book artist who unleashes something horrid from the printed page.

Of all the episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, this one is iconic because of just how freaky the Ghastly Grinner is. Certainly the stuff of nightmares for impressionable youths watching the show with one eye on their homework and one eye on the TV.

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The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle (1993)

A spectre from the past surfaces in this next episode: The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle. This unsettling ghost story follows teenager Mike Buckley, who becomes haunted by the spirit of a former friend.

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The Tale of the Super Specs (1992)

In this next episode, when Marybeth puts on a pair of special glasses she discovers she can see something very unexpected – a series of strange figures who shouldn’t be there! Mixing horror and sci-fi, as well as some gnarly glasses, The Tale of the Super Specs is an absolute gem of a story.

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The Tale of the Crimson Clown (1994)

One thing which Are You Afraid of the Dark? did very well was tell stories about clowns. And yep, this next episode from Season Three is another example of the show turning clowns into nightmares.

In the episode, a mysterious clown sets out to teach a spoiled brat a lesson. What follows is a very creepy affair.

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The Tale of the Midnight Ride (1994)

In this next episode, the legend of Sleepy Hollow is given an update Are You Afraid of the Dark?-style! The story centres around a young boy who moves to Sleepy Hollow, only to cross paths with the notorious Headless Horseman.

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The Tale of Watcher’s Woods (1994)

Want to discover the secret of Watcher’s Woods? Then you’ll need to check out this episode which follows two teenage girls who get lost in a mysterious wood, which they may never escape from.

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The Tale of the Night Shift (1996)

In The Tale of the Night Shift, a hospital volunteer comes to discover a vampire is stalking the halls of the hospital. And to make matters worse, it appears the vampire is feeding on the staff as well as the patients.

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The Tale of the Doll Maker (1994)

In The Tale of the Doll Maker, a young girl suspects a mysterious dollhouse could be connected to the disappearance of her friend. Once again, another creepy little tale designed to unnerve young viewers (as well as some not-so young viewers).

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The Tale of the Dream Girl (1994)

And finally, In The Tale of the Dream Girl a young man starts to find himself seemingly ignored by those around him. Could this have something to do with a ring he found in his locker?

And who is the unknown girl he sees? Is this a dream or is it a nightmare?

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Recap: Best episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?

To save you having to scroll back up, here is a list of all the best episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?.

• The Tale of Laughing in the Dark (1992) – Season One, Episode Two
• The Tale of the Phone Police (1994) – Season Three, Episode Four
• The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float (1995) – Season Five, Episode One
• The Tale of Apartment 214 (1994) – Season Three, Episode Two
• The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner (1994) – Season Four, Episode Nine
• The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle (1993) – Season Two, Episode Ten
• The Tale of the Super Specs (1992) – Season One, Episode Six
• The Tale of the Crimson Clown (1994) – Season Three, Episode Twelve
• The Tale of the Midnight Ride (1994) – Season Three, Episode One
• The Tale of Watcher’s Woods (1994) – Season Three, Episode Three
• The Tale of the Night Shift (1996) – Season Five, Episode Eleven
• The Tale of the Doll Maker (1994) – Season Three, Episode Five
• The Tale of the Dream Girl (1994) – Season Three, Episode Ten

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Editor/Writer/Lapsed Member of the Midnight Society

Alex Wiggan

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