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Air Date: Saturday, December 10, 1994 Storyteller: Tucker (Daniel DeSanto)  Frame: The episode opens with Sam (Joanna Garcia) and Kiki (Jodie Resther) fighting about how someone stole Kiki's sweater from Sam's locker. That's when Tucker comes running in with the water bucket, tripping and spilling it, and his older brother, Gary (Ross Hull), starts insulting him for being a clumsy fool. Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull) puts a stop to the bickering with a sharp whistle and invites people to cool out so they can start the meeting, with Tucker up for storytelling. Conveniently, Tucker's story involves things getting "heated up."
Story: During a surprise party for divorced father, Dan Preston (Larry Day), at his fire station, where his kids, Jimmy (Myles Ferguson) and Roxy (Vanessa King), learn about a "fire ghost" who supposedly haunts the station, they are left alone due to an emergency call. When the power goes out, and Jimmy lights a candle for some light, and soon learns the horrible truth about the vengeful fire ghost (Tim Post) being real, unleashing it by looking into the candle's flame. Soon, Jimmy and Roxy find themselves face-to-face with the victim of a fire, who is out for revenge against the whole station for not having gotten to him in time. Review: It's hard to get my head around how I really feel about this one. On the one hand, the part of the story related to Jimmy's bitterness over his parents' divorce feels unnecessary. This story primarily revolves around battling a vengeful spirit. On the other hand, the episode does bear a creepy atmosphere, and I like the design of the fire ghost, finding him genuinely disturbing. But unfortunately, the solution for stopping the spirit is painfully simple. It's one of the most middle-of-the-road episodes I can think of, but it would have been effective if I had seen it as a kid, as around this point, I had started channel surfing past this show. Final Rating: Spooked
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Air Date: Saturday, October 15, 1994 Storyteller: Tucker (Daniel DeSanto)  Frame: Frank (Jason Alisharan) enters the campfire clearing alone (seemingly over his fear of the dark) and finds no one there, but someone seemingly left a backpack there that he decides to root through, finding a diary which he reads, assuming it belongs to Sam (Joanna Garcia). Inside, it reveals what seems to be Sam's true feelings about Frank, but it turns out to be a prank set up by Tucker, using it to prove a point: never take people's things, or you might have to suffer the consequences, especially when you steal from the dead.
Story: Shawn Mackenzie (Tony Sampson) is sent to spend the summer with his uncle (Luis de Cespedes) and cousin, Dean (Charlie Hofheimer), who works in his Dad's convenience store. One day, Dean receives a delivery order for coffee to the town character, Captain Abraham Westchester (Griffith Brewer). Excited about something finally happening, Shawn joins Dean on the delivery and meets Westchester, who claims he's haunted by "water demons" who come every time he goes to sleep, thanks to his plundering of sunken ships. At first, the cousins dismiss it, but after a fight with his uncle, Shawn learns the terrifying truth pretty quickly. Review: Conceptually, I really like this one, but something is holding it back from being as good as it could be, and that's Shawn. Sam (Michael Barry) from 'Crimson Clown' is probably still the worst, but it's practically a coin flip between the two characters for "worst character." It's also hard to believe that Westchester didn't discover the solution to his problem for a whole three years; however, Brewer's performance here is excellent, and to the episode's credit, the "water demons" (which are more like average zombies) present a good creep-factor. The balance here is okay, but could be better if Shawn were just a bit more likable. Final Rating: Spooked Air Date: Saturday, February 26, 1994 Storyteller: Tucker (Daniel DeSanto)  Frame: The episode opens with Gary (Ross Hull) chasing his little brother, Tucker, who has taken his Ankh from his private drawer without asking, insisting he needs it for his story. After a bit of a struggle, Sam (Joanna Garcia) is finally able to calm the pair down, allowing the meeting to proceed. With this, Tucker shows the group of questioning faces the Ankh, explaining what it represents and how it relates to his story, which is full of symbols that one must know how to read properly; otherwise, they might unleash something unexpected.
Story: When an excavation at a historical museum reveals an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus. With this, the museum calls on Professor James Dugan (Martin Doyle), an expert on ancient artifacts who is better at his job than raising his kids, Josh (Danny Cooksey) and Cleo (Vanessa King). Disappointed that they have to miss a vacation due to their Dad working again, Josh and Cleo decide to check out this sarcophagus, which reveals more about the body inside. However, when they accidentally spill a vial of a strange substance on the mummy's body, it comes to life, seemingly chasing them down, but there's more to the curse than meets the eye. Review: Aside from a mild sense of humour that is much weaker here than in other episodes, there's not much to this one that really stands out for me. There is an interesting enough twist to the climax, but then, when the episode ends, it concludes in a rather corny manner. Still, I credit the story for cramming quite a bit into a 22-minute episode, even if the story isn't entirely up my alley. On the other hand, I find Tucker's introduction to the story somewhat nonsensical. To paraphrase him, "some things are far worse than death, even life," which sounds like it comes straight from a 'South Park' goth. This one is passable at best. Final Rating: Nervous Air Date: Saturday, January 29, 1994 Storyteller: Tucker (Daniel DeSanto)  Frame: The Midnight Society gathers, impatiently awaiting Tucker's arrival, as he's supposed to be up for storytelling that night. Gary (Ross Hull) reassures the rest of them that he'll be along soon. Suddenly, a portable phone rings. Gary answers, and it turns out to be Tucker on the other end. Gary hooks the portable phone up to a speaker (in a scene that screams early 90s, these days) so that everyone can hear, and Tucker proceeds to tell his story through the phone, if only for atmosphere, as his story has everything to do with proper phone usage.
Story: Two boys, Jake (Marcus Turner) and Chris (Ryan Kent), are hanging out one night and decide to make some prank phone calls. Catching them in the act, Jake's sister, Annie (Marlowe Dawn), tells them an urban legend about the "Phone Police," who, one day, hauled away a kid for messing around with the phone. When Jake finds the apparent, odd six-digit number of the kid (in a time when there were seven digits, unless it was a long-distance call), he brings it to the attention of the "Phone Company." They then accuse him of prank calling people, take him away, and the urban legend becomes all too real. Review: This episode was undoubtedly better in its time. Back in '94, the world of phones was very different from what it is today. Half the fun of a prank call was that the other side had little to no way of knowing who you were without the advent of Caller ID. It's by far one of the most dated episodes considering its subject matter, and wasn't the scariest concept for its time either. There's a bit of atmosphere to it, but it's simply not enough, and the ending feels rushed, as though they had no idea how to end it. I'd classify it as one of the weaker titles in the series, especially in this day and age of technology. Final Rating: Calm Air Date: Saturday, January 8, 1994 Storyteller: Tucker (Daniel DeSanto)  Frame: The beginning of a new season sees Kristen (Rachel Blanchard) and David (Nathaniel Moreau) absent from the Midnight Society, due to their parents moving away. With two spots to fill, Gary (Ross Hull) brings in his little brother, Tucker, to fill one of the places. While the rest of the group complains that he's a little kid and not up to the task, Tucker insists that they give him a chance to prove himself. Gary further reveals that if Tucker can't come, he will no longer be able to attend meetings. Reluctantly, the group agrees to give him the chance.
Story: Ian Matthews (Tighe Swanson) has just moved to Sleepy Hollow, where the tale of the "Headless Horseman" comes from, and is trying to fit in and make friends. He befriends a girl named Katie (Rachel Wilson), much to the dismay of her ex, Brad (Patrick Gardner), who can't seem to let her go. Jealous, Brad attempts a prank on Ian, using the famous Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and its association with Halloween night to his advantage. However, some ghost stories might end up being more real than we all think, and soon they all find themselves face to face with what could be the real Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. Review: This one's okay for a fun Halloween treat, primarily because it's one of only a few actual Halloween episodes in the series. However, Ian is almost immediately unlikable, Katie's just kinda there to be fought over, and Brad's a typical bully. While I appreciate the idea behind this story, it's another one in which its featured characters bring it down. Regardless, Tucker is accepted into the Midnight Society, effectively becoming a new Eric (Jacob Tierney), as the "little brat" of the group, whose spot was left open after the first season, despite the idea that he's supposedly replacing David (Nathaniel Moreau). Final Rating: Spooked |
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