The Tale of the Bookish Babysitter

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Midnight Society

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Air Date: Saturday, February 12, 1994
Storyteller: Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull)

Frame: The episode opens with Frank (Jason Alisharan) getting some comeuppance, and once Tucker (Daniel DeSanto) teases him about it, he then turns his attention to a book Betty Ann brought with her. Using it to introduce her story, she mentions how the scary stories they tell all share the idea that the listener's imagination is what makes them frightening, because, in a way, they're able to become a part of it. They begin to wonder what they would do if faced with the monster. What follows is another one of my personal favourite stories in the series.

Story: Ricky Winter (James Sherry) is your typical preteen brat whose mother (Lynne Adams) still insists that when she's out, he needs a babysitter. Enter babysitter Belinda (Natalie Radford), a somewhat mysterious young woman, who is big on books and comes highly recommended. Her method is to try to get Ricky to read a book instead of lounging around watching TV. The catch is, these books come to life, and before Ricky knows it, he finds that after attempting to read several books, the book worlds collide, and soon Ricky finds himself having to use the power of imagination to get out of this mess.

Review: This was always a stand-out episode for yours truly. I have to admit that nowadays, Ricky is enough to get on my nerves, but otherwise, the episode is great. The concept of your imagination when it comes to reading, being able to hook you just a little better than TV, spoon-feeding you imagery, is still relevant today. I also like the character of Belinda; it's a fairly obvious nod to 'The NeverEnding Story,' and even the closing scene back at the Midnight Society campfire is humorous, showing a bit of Betty Ann's darker side. It's a little cheesy now, yes, but I have to admit, it's still among my favourites.

Final Rating: Afraid

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