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Air Date: Saturday, November 19, 1994 Storyteller: Sam (Joanna Garcia)  Frame: Kiki (Jodie Resther) comes running in late to the Midnight Society meeting, out of breath, and finds that she's somewhat unnecessarily winded, as it's Sam's turn to tell a story, and she's busy writing a message on a greeting card, and according to most of their reactions, the group is getting impatient and want her to get on with it. Sam, however, expresses no regrets in making them wait, because it's never a good idea to leave something undone, as there's no telling if you'll finish it. Kind of like getting to the story, but either way, she finally gets started.
Story: Jessie Dixon (Alyson Hildreth) lives with her grandfather, Samuel (Walter Massey), and likes to take on odd jobs to keep herself busy, one being taking care of her neighbour, a psychic named Sara Simpson (Sheena Larkin). Meanwhile, when Samuel falls ill, he posts a sign for a room for rent to make a bit of extra money. One night, when Jessie and her friend Alex (Melissa Altro) return from a movie, they go to Sara's house to collect Jessie's earnings, only to find her summoning the spirit of her old love, Jacob (Andreas Apergis), in some ritual. Much to Jessie's dismay, the ghost turns out to be her grandfather's first tenant. Review: This is another episode that ends up making for a good, fun Halloween romp, along with a side of real sweetness, and a backstory involving what Samuel, Jacob, and Sara were all up to during World War II. Effect-wise, back then, one had to forgive a lot of the early CG, and I've always seen practical effects to be a bit more powerful for the era. However, as long as you can look past the effects and the occasional corny acting in the kids' parts, the story itself has a certain charm. It has an ending that's bittersweet, perhaps very predictable, but sometimes it's a nice change of pace when done right. Final Rating: Scared
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Air Date: Saturday, October 8, 1994 Storyteller: Sam (Joanna Garcia)  Frame: The episode opens as the Midnight Society gathers around Sam, who's lost in a history book, trying to get her attention. Once she comes to attention, thanks to Kiki (Jodie Resther), Frank (Jason Alisharan) comments on how boring history is, to which Sam retorts, revealing Frank seemed interested when he asked her to study with him. Sam, however, uses Frank's ignorance to introduce her story, stating that some may think history is boring material to learn; however, if we don't learn from our past, we're doomed to repeat it.
Story: This one centers on a high school student, Jimmy Armstrong (Will Friedle), who has a crush on his friend, April (Kim Johnson), but faces competition from another friend, Josh (Joel Gordon). One day, while walking home, Josh seemingly encounters a time portal that leads back to 1780, in the midst of the American Revolutionary War, where he meets Lt. William (Paul Hopkins), a man on the run from some British Redcoats, aiming to escape the British and reunite with the woman he loves and tell her how he feels. Able to relate, Jimmy is all too happy to help him with this task. Review: Time travel stories can be fun, but with a show entitled 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?', we could stand just a few more scares. I'd even say this episode almost feels like it belongs to some other show. It's furthermore tough to buy into Jimmy's lack of confidence, and the whole message here is to express your feelings to the person you have feelings for before it ends up being too late. Altogether, this is probably the lamest episode of the series so far, at least as far as my taste goes, reminding me a lot of 'Hungry Hounds' in the sense that I'm just too far separated from the subject matter to take much of an interest. Final Rating: Calm Air Date: Saturday, March 26, 1994 Storyteller: Sam (Joanna Garcia)  Frame: As the episode opens, we have some fun with Kiki (Jodie Resther) and Tucker (Daniel DeSanto) engaging in an arm wrestling match, and things are set up to look like a pretty typical episode. Things even begin to come off as particularly cheesy once the arm wrestling finishes and Sam begins her story. She engages her audience by telling them about how her story is about something truly terrifying: true love. This intro is a corny-sounding one, sure, but what follows is likely one of the most pleasant surprises of an episode in the series.
Story: Close-knit siblings Johnny (Fab Filippo) and Erica Angelli (Andrea Nemeth) work at a bowling alley together; she as a waitress, and he as a repairman. One night, while closing, Johnny finds a girl's ring in his locker and curiously puts it on his finger, where it gets stuck. Suddenly, he starts having dreams of a beautiful girl named Donna Maitland (Shanya Vaughan) who seems to be drawn to Johnny. Confused as to how or why this mysterious girl has appeared in his dreams, he's soon quite literally haunted by her, and in the meantime, Erica seems to know more about his situation than she's letting on. Review: Without revealing too much, there is a famous movie that ends in a very similar way, often said to have drawn inspiration from this episode, which came years before. But aside from a fantastic twist to the episode, much like 'Shiny Red Bicycle,' this episode earns bonus points for the heart involved, not just between the love interests, but also among the siblings. It all ends on a note that's surprisingly emotional and unexpected for a show that seems to wear its cheesiness with pride. It could be debated that this could be the best episode of the series, and if not, it's certainly among them. Final Rating: Afraid Air Date: Saturday, January 22, 1994 Storyteller: Sam (Joanna Garcia)  Frame: As a calm thunderstorm rolls through the clearing, the Midnight Society gathers, along with a new potential member named Sam (Joanna Garcia), with a bag over her head, whom Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull) has recommended for initiation. As Frank (Jason Alisharan) unsuccessfully hits on her, Gary (Ross Hull) asks her if she's aware of the rules. She reviews them and eventually takes her seat in the storytelling chair to tell her tale, using the forestry setting and thunderstorm to her advantage to set the mood.
Story: An overachiever named Sarah (Kendall Saunders) enrolls in an all-girls' summer camp where, upon her arrival, she meets Kelly (Jewel Staite), a "mean girl" type who attempts to scare Sarah with a folk legend about the nearby woods and the three sisters who got lost. The next day, the girls go out on a hike together and end up lost and separated from each other, Kelly finding herself captured by three old hags (Sheena Larkin, Victoria Barkoff, and Babs Gadbois), needing Sarah to save her. Meanwhile, Sarah deals with a creepy tree man (Tom Rack) who seems to be stalking her. Review: This is a fun episode to look back on, mostly in knowing who Jewel Staite eventually became (namely, the far more likable Kaylee in 'Firefly'). Her character here isn't the best, but it's always interesting to see someone's humble beginnings. This particular story has become one of the more famously scary episodes over the years, particularly between "The Watcher" (the creepy tree guy) and many of the set pieces that could give any Halloween yard display a run for its money. In the end, I credit this one for standing out among some of the other titles, if only due to its genuine creepiness, even if the characters aren't among the most likable. Final Rating: Scared |
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