Spooky Stragglers: Television Shows I Forgot to Mention!!

As usual, something got left out in my Spooky Season Blog Series. I did get most of the shows and movies in there, but I missed a few. :/ Oh, well. It does happen. But I thought I would come back to mention them here. I'm not going to go as in depth as I did for the last ones. Here they are: 

• Ghost Whisperer (2005 - 2010)
• I really loved this show. Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt as Melinda Gordon; a woman who can talk to ghosts and help them cross over. I think I watched all of them when they were on. I recently started rewatching the series, actually. This show was basically the prefect combination of a good scare and then a good cry. They expanded on things as the show went on, too. The finale of season one is something I've thought about many times over the years. 
• Truth or Scare (2001 - 2003)
• I'm not sure I saw all of these. I loved it, though. Michelle Trachtenberg was a great host. Rest in Peace. <3 It was sort of documentary style. There were interviews and film footage. Some of the ones I remember loving or really affecting me were: Castle Ghosts of Ireland, Castle Ghosts of England, Castle Ghosts of Scotland, Castle Ghosts of Wales. (Anything with castle ghosts, apparently.) The Curse of King Tutankhamen, UFOs Over Phoenix,  America's Haunted Houses, Night Visitors, The True Story of Halloween, and Real Witches? I just looked at an episode list, and I think I did see all of them. I loved them all, but those stood out the most.
• Mystery Hunters (2002 - 2009)
• Apparently this show lasted longer than I thought. I am almost sure I did not watch all of these. I would watch Truth or Scare and this on the same night during the weekends before bed. lmao I know, sweet dreams. From what I remember, two kids (teenagers) would investigate unexplained things and see if they could debunk or explain them. Seventy-eight episodes is a lot ot look through. I do recall the one about MacBeth and the Salem Witches. I'm sure if I watched again I would remember some. There was also an adult on it; a scientist. Or at least he played one. This and Truth or Scare were both on Discovery Kids. I loved them, but I liked Truth or Scare more. 

Did you watch any of these? I would love to know; tell me in the comments!!

My Favorite Are You Afraid of the Dark? Episodes!!

 

 

We have come to my favorite of the shows I've been talking about!! The 1990s "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"!! The opening was amazing. That music, the swings moving with no one on them, the doll, the door, etc. To this day a swing moving with no one on it freaks me out. And freaks out many children of the 90s who watched this show. Just look it up if you don't know it. Anyway, amazing, and such a good show!! I am only going to be talking about the original run from 1992-1996. Below I am listing all of my favorite episodes and pointing out what my very top favorites are. Did you watch this show? What was your favorite episode? Let me know in the comments!! 

• S1.E6 ∙ The Tale of the Super Specs
• Weeds, a prankster, buys his girlfriend Marybeth a pair of super spec glasses as part of his April's Fool Day collection. Once she puts on the glasses, strange figures appear and can't be explained.
• This episode was fascinating to me. The idea of the glasses seeing another dimension…amazing, and terrifying. It also completely freaked me out. As often happens, though, it is also one of my absolute favorites. And that ending? Wow… One of my favorite episodes EVER. 
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• S1.E8 ∙ The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors
• Some new neighbors move into a neighborhood. They are originally from Eastern Europe, wear black, collect blood, and are only active at night.
• I have loved vampires from an early age, and it likely started with Are You Afraid of the Dark? I’m not sure which of the two vampire episodes I saw first. This one did freak me out at the time; not as much now. Again, this had a surprising ending.
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• S1.E9 ∙ The Tale of the Sorcerer's Apprentice
• Dean, a troubled student, awakens an ancient secret hidden in the school.
• This is one I have found myself rewatching over the years. It has magic in it’ magical artifacts, etc. Something that is of interest to me. I like the mystery and history of it.
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• S1.E12 ∙ The Tale of the Prom Queen
• Two boys befriend a young woman where they encourage her to join them in search of a legend that comes every year.
• Very likely in my top five favorite episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? EVER. This one is less scary, in my opinion, but it is such a good story. Another great ending, too. And it did have some spooky bits.
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• S2.E2 ∙ The Tale of the Midnight Madness
• Dr. Vink helps an old movie theater in danger of closing by showing a special version of the vampire classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922).
• Another of my favorite EVER episodes. And another that terrified me. Oh, and another vampire one. So, there are three here. As I said, I love vampires. Still not sure which of these three I saw first. This really scared me, but I loved it. Notable for the first appearance of Dr. Vink, too.
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• S2.E10 ∙ The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle
• Mike Buckley is haunted by the ghost of Ricky Hagerty, his friend who drowned, and his old bike.
• Another classic ghost story; with scares AND emotions. Which is my favorite type of ghost story.
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• S2.E12 ∙ The Tale of the Hatching
• A brother and sister enroll at a boarding school, but soon find out their headmasters are aliens plotting to take over Earth.
• Definitely different from the previous episodes mentioned, this one is about aliens. It is unique and creepy and a little gross lol. At least I though so as a kid. I did really like it, though.
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• S3.E1 ∙ The Tale of the Midnight Ride
• Ian Matthews arrives in the legendary town of Sleepy Hollow where he meets a new girlfriend, the tough guy and the notorious Headless horseman.
• I am from New York state. I have literally visited Sleepy Hollow, and Washington Irving’s house. I went to college right next to Sleepy Hollow. So to have an Are You Afraid of the Dark? Episode set in Sleepy Hollow is amazing. I loved it as a little kid, and I still love it today. It is also the only story in the original run to take place in a real town. One of my favorites EVER.
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• S3.E3 ∙ The Tale of Watcher's Woods
• Sarah and Kelly learned they should never enter the Watcher's woods, the scary section occupied by the ghosts of three old hags and the evil Watcher.
• This one…it had some genuinely scary, and even mildly disturbing parts; for a kid’s show. I read somewhere Watcher’s Woods was an actual girl scout legend they tell when they go camping. Does anyone know about that?
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• S3.E13 ∙ The Tale of the Dangerous Soup
• Dr. Vink's soup restaurant is the top of the town where a young man who applies at the job along with a waitress find out the secret recipe to the successful soup.
• This one has a line my mom and I still quote today: “You want loud? I’ll show you loud!” The concept of this was very creative. Also, the second time Dr. Vink appears on this list.
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• S4.E1 ∙ The Tale of the Renegade Virus
• A boy who enjoys playing pranks goes too far one day and is punished by being trapped in a virtual reality game.
• Another one that freaked me out. The…personification of the virus, I found very creepy. There is also a shot that will randomly pop into my head sometimes. Something not organic sort of growing out of the main character’s hand.
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• S4.E3 ∙ The Tale of the Water Demons
• Shawn McKenzie visits his relatives and works in a job for the summer where him and his cousin deliver groceries to an old man's house and see why he's very odd.
• Definitely freaked me out. The fact that these water demons came while this man was asleep was a big reason. Made me afraid to sleep, for sure. It’s better now when I watch it lol. Meaning I can sleep. There were a few jump scares, too. Another favorite EVER, though. 
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• S4.E6 ∙ The Tale of the Quiet Librarian
• A library is haunted by the ghost of a former librarian who dislikes noisy children.
• It is no secret that I love books; I also love the library. So the setting was appealing to me, but also creepy. Sometimes an absolutely silent library is creepy. And the setting of this also made it creepier for me, since I loved (and still love) libraries.
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• S4.E7 ∙ The Tale of the Silent Servant
• Two kids bring a scarecrow to life to do their chores on a farm. It seems like a good idea, for a while...
• I blame this episode for making me mildly freaked out by scarecrows…
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• S4.E9 ∙ The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner
• A young comic book fan/artist unleashes a villain from a rare comic book, who turns people into laughing zombies!
• I hate clowns. I am sorry, they scare me. I can hardly look at one. You will notice none of the actual clown episodes are on my list, and that is why. Now, the ghastly grinner…it teeters on the edge. He is more of a jester type of character. Which is still freaky. And while the idea of him turning people into laughing zombies may not sound that scary, it is creepy.
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• S4.E10 ∙ The Tale of the Fire Ghost
• Two teens help the ghost of a fire-fighter.
• The synopsis does not do this episode justice. This is another one of my absolute favorite episodes EVER. Two ghosts in this one. It also made me very wary of looking into a flame for too long; to this day.
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• S5.E1 ∙ The Tale of the Dead Man's Float
• Zeke and Clorice find an abandoned swimming pool at their school where a secret is contained.
• This is one a lot of lists of scariest episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? I don’t remember it scaring me THAT much, but it was good, and it did scare me a little. The design of the thing in the pool was really freaky for a 90s kid’s show.
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• S5.E3 ∙ The Tale of Station 109.1
• A youth obsessed with death discovers a radio station which takes its listeners to the afterlife.
• Now probably mostly known as the episode Ryan Gosling was in. In fact, it says that in parenthesis after the episode title; that it features Ryan Gosling. He is not the main character, though. The idea of a radio station being something more is interesting and creepy. Plus, taking the listener to the afterlife? Wow.
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• S5.E6 ∙ The Tale of C7
• A family moves into a house on the lake where an ancient jukebox brings back to life the memory of a fallen soldier.
• Another one of my favorite episodes EVER. Another mix of creepy and emotional. Even as a child, the sad story got to me. I love this episode so much.
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• S5.E7 ∙ The Tale of Badge
• Gwen, a girl who doesn't believe in her talent of music, gets a chance to test her gift when an ancient spirit awakens.
• Freaked me the hell out. But I still loved it. Haha!! “Badge, I am.” Ooohh, chills. When most people speak like that, they think of Yoda. I think of Badge… This also had music and some witchcraft, which I loved. Another favorite EVER episode. 
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• S5.E11 ∙ The Tale of the Vacant Lot
• A mysterious woman gives a shy young girl everything she needs to be popular, in exchange for her soul.
• A classic tale with a twist. A deal in exchange for your soul. And for things that ultimately will not be important later. Definitely a lesson in this, but wrapped up in a good story.
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• S5.E12 ∙ The Tale of a Door Unlocked
• Sardo sells a magic door to a teenage boy where once he opens the door, the future happens in front of him.
• Magic doors? That is amazing. I love this concept so much. And look, there is Sardo! No Mister, accent on the do! This one was more suspenseful than scary, and didn't have ghosts or creatures; it was smore mystical. Something I love to this day. So this is definitely another favorite episode EVER. 
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• S5.E13 ∙ The Tale of the Night Shift
• Amanda works the night shift at a hospital where she sees that all the employees are acting strange and weak around her.
• And we come to the episode that scares me the most, and still scares me to this day. There is a lot that goes into why this episode freaked me out so much. One: it takes place in a hospital. I have a serious, rare chronic illness and have spent a lot of time in hospitals. Two: the main character is also named Amanda. I mean, especially as a child, yeah, that added to the fear. Three: the vampire in this is not the sexy vampires we know today. Lmao. It shapeshifted into something that looked monstrous, and was monstrous. Four: the way people acted after they were bitten was very creepy. Five: Someone being hung over the roof of the hospital. Six: “I shall drop you and then lick up what’s left.” ….Yeah. In a kid’s show. Wow. Still, another one of my absolute favorite EVER, and the one that scared me the most. For good reason.

There you go! My favorite episodes of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"! SUCH a good show!! I still love it to this day. And we have my top TEN favorites: The Tale of the Super Specs, The Tale of the Prom Queen, The Tale of the Midnight Madness, The Tale of the Midnight Ride, The Tale of the Water Demons, The Tale of the Fire Ghost, The Tale of C7, The Tale of Badge, The Tale of a Door Unlocked, and The Tale of the Night Shift. PLEASE let my know your favorites!! Or, if you've never seen this, which episodes you are going to check out first!! ;)