When it comes to TV, I have always been a wee bit obsessed. I am constantly falling in and out of love with TV shows, and always looking for the next series that will capture my imagination. Over the years, rewatching shows has become a luxury I don't indulge in too often — there is just too much new TV to keep up with to devote precious hours to stuff I've already seen. However, I don't think I will ever stop watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? .
The Nickelodeon series may seem like an odd choice for eternal rewatching, but Are You Afraid of the Dark? holds a special place in my heart. If I had never become so attached to The Midnight Society and their stories of macabre and monsters, then I may have never fallen for The X-Files, Lost, The Twilight Zone, or Game of Thrones. The show gave me a place to channel my love for all things spooky, mysterious, and unexpected. Are You Afraid of the Dark? is a kid's show, for sure, but it is one that was a gateway to a lifelong love of genre storytelling across all formats.
That is the big reason while I will watch grainy reruns of the show — but there are a lot of smaller reasons that Are You Afraid of the Dark? will never stop being awesome in my eyes too.
1. The Midnight Society Is The Greatest Club To Ever Be A Club
While it was always hard to imagine how those kids all got out of their houses to meet in the woods at midnight every week without their parents finding out, that never stopped me from wanting to join in the fun. A special club for scary story lovers? Sign me up.
2. The "Tale Of The Lonely Ghost" Is One Of The Scariest Episodes Of TV Ever
Seeing "Help Me" scrawled backwards all over the walls gives me goosebumps every single time.
3. The Nostalgia Factor
Watching my favorite episodes takes me right back to being a little kid watching SNICK on the sofa at my best friend's house and completely freaking out the minute the opening credits started to play. (Those credits are still unsettling, by the way.)
4. The Guest Stars
Ryan Gosling, Melissa Joan Hart, Tia and Tamara Mowry — they all appeared in episodes. Are You Afraid of the Dark? is basically a treasure trove for fans of '90s stars.
5. The Variety Of Episodes
Anthology series are naturally more fun to rewatch than other shows because you can pick any episode and hop straight in. If I'm in the mood for scares, I can go with "The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner," if I want an episode that is a little lighter, then I can queue up "The Tale of the Chameleons."
6. Zeebo
Zeebo is an indisputable masterpiece of clown terror who should never be forgotten.
7. Because Halloween Wouldn't Be Halloween Without A Marathon
I don't believe Halloween will come if I don't plan a detailed Are You Afraid of the Dark? marathon for the end of September.
8. There Is Always Something New To Notice
When I rewatched "The Tale of the Dream Girl" back in October, I realized it totally inspired The Sixth Sense. That is not something I would have known if I had only watched the episode when I was a kid.
9. It Is Still A Genuinely Scary Show
Zeebo, The Ghastly Grinner, whatever that horrifying pool monster was — they are all just as scary now as they were in the '90s. The show has aged remarkably well, and remains a horror TV classic.
10. Because The Pop Culture References Make So Much More Sense Now
Having not seen Nosferatu or read "The Killing Joke" when I was eight, those references went right over my young head. When I watch episodes now, I recognize all the cultural touches the writers put into the stories and it adds a whole new layer to my viewing experience.
11. It Covered Every Horror & Sci-Fi Trope Imaginable
It doesn't matter if I am in the mood for ghosts, vampires, or aliens because Are You Afraid of the Dark? left no genre trope uncovered. The sheer amount of different horror and sci-fi monsters and themes it covered is beyond impressive.
12. Because It Legitimized Being Afraid Of Dolls
Dolls are either evil or you end up turning into one. I appreciate the show backing me up on the dolls are scary thing.
13. The Art Of Telling Ghost Stories Is Timeless
The set-up — sitting around a fire and telling ghost stories — will never stop being relevant. Everyone loves to tell and hear ghost stories, making Are You Afraid of the Dark? one of the rare shows from my childhood I can share with my nieces and nephews without there being a culture gap.
I submit for your approval that Are You Afraid of the Dark? is the one kid's show that will forever be infinitely rewatchable.
Images: Nickelodeon (2); Giphy (12)
