The Tale of the Thirteenth Floor

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Air Date: Saturday, July 10, 1993
Storyteller: Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull)

Frame: As Frank (Jason Alisharan) and some of the others build the campfire, Frank asks the rest of them if they have ever felt like they were being watched. At that moment, they're blinded by a few flashlights, which Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull) uses to creepily bring her story in, with the help of David (Nathaniel Moreau) and Kristen (Rachel Blanchard). She begins everything with a short speech about how we never really know who someone is, inside out; to me, a more kid-friendly way to say we all have skeletons in our closets, and it's on with the story.

Story: Billy (Aaron Ashmore) and his adopted sister Karin (Trish Lindstrom), who he seems to be able to top at anything they do together, live in an apartment building consisting of 13 floors. The tenants of the 13th floor seemingly vanished one day, leaving it abandoned, and it has since become a sort of play area for the pair. One day, the 13th floor gets taken over by what claims to be a new toy factory, inviting Karin up to test out some new products. She goes, insisting that Billy join her, and experiments with various toys and games, but what she doesn't realize is that the "toy company" has plans, and she's not really there to test products.

Review: When I was younger, considering the twist this takes, I may have taken it to heart more, as it has a lot to do with something I intensely feared in my preteen years. Nowadays, though, it's easily one of the corniest episodes, but not without some of that ironic laughter I love getting from the show. Nowadays, it serves as a time capsule, reflecting the popular trends of the time. But it hasn't aged all that well, either, and it's hard to find the "toy company" a threat when their environment looks like it was done over in time for Easter. It's okay, but it was definitely creepier to watch for me back in the day.

Final Rating: Spooked

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