Are You Afraid of the Dark (2019), Season 1

 


Name: Are You Afraid of the Dark (2019), season 1

Directed By: Dean Israelite 

Subgenre: PG-13 Fantasy

Series: Spooktober 2019 entry #15; Series Killer #1; review #46

Review: Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story: another Are You Afraid of the Dark reboot! While it's technically a reboot, the first season is a three-part mini-series with each episode running about 45 minutes long. In case you weren't in the know, AYAOTD was Nickelodeon's horror anthology back in the 90s, and each episode was told to the audience by a member of the Midnight Society. The reboot works to introduce new audiences to that concept by injecting new blood into the Society itself. We get to see a fairly typical high school drama unfold as Rachel, the new girl in school, gets invited to join the Society, and the first story is hers to tell: Tophat Man and his Carnival of Doom. The longer run time is mostly spent on laying the groundwork for the Midnight Society's meta-narrative that will run through each episode. And, while the initial tale itself manages some spooky atmosphere and decently interesting shots, the episode spends more time trying to set up the story to come. Don't misunderstand: AYAOTD is a teen-centric horror-drama but written by horror fans for horror fans, though some of the original magic is lost in some fairly unimmersive CGI and the over-acting by some of the characters can get a bit grating. That trend continues on in the penultimate and final episodes of the season, and here's where my mind gripe with the reboot really started to take root. For an anthology horror series based around the monster/eerie tale of the week setup, the rebooted series abandons that to focus on the ongoing narrative involving the Midnight Society itself. Rachel, we find, is a very special girl, complete with Harry Potter-esque nickname and all, and her story turns out to be real--so she and the rest of the Scooby Gang go off to set things right. And sure, there are a few scenes that ramp up the creepy-meter (and are likely quite a bit spookier to younger audiences), the vast majority of them rely on the iffy CGI (the scorpions were okay; the floating pencil mixed with audio out of MineCraft, not so much) leading to a climax that's pretty under-baked. Teen horror anthologies, including AYAOTD, often used their tales as a vehicle for some kind of life lesson, and while we see Rachel ultimately make a decision in her final confrontation with the Tophat Man, the real reason she was successful was magic, more or less. Oh, and she maybe kills another dude with a different sort of magic, so that's something. All in all, the series felt simultaneously too long yet rushed while abandoning the setup that nostalgic older viewers (like myself) were hoping to see once again. The tale of the Tophat Man and the Carnival of Doom wasn't terrible overall--and it will likely make for a solid entry for younger audiences dipping their toes into the horror genre--but it is an AYAOTD reboot in name (and numerous references) only.




Overall Score: 2 out of 5 Chads gathered 'round the dying midnight fire. Did season one of the Are You Afraid of the Dark reboot scare you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

IMDB: Here

How to Watch: The first season of the Are You Afraid of the Dark reboot is available on these platforms.


Official Trailer



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