The Tale of the Whispering Walls

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Midnight Society

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Air Date: Saturday, August 14, 1993
Storyteller: Betty-Ann (Raine Pare-Coull)

Frame: As several members of The Midnight Society approach the clearing for another meeting, they discuss that night's rare February 29th full moon (an event that did not occur in the 90s, last occurring in 1972) and the superstitions attached to such a rarity. Upon their approach, they find a mysterious stranger standing there, wearing a creepy skeleton mask, revealed to be Betty Ann. She claims she's wearing the mask for protection from evil spirits due to the rare moon and cultural superstitions, which segues nicely into her story.

Story: Dysfunctional siblings, Claire (Tamar Lee) and Andrew (Ryan Gifford), are on their way home from the local carnival, along with their babysitter, Louise Lam (Vivian Liu), on a February 29th full-moon night. When lost, they find a small tavern, where they meet the creepy Master Raymond (Robert Higden), who points them towards a "shortcut" which leads to a mysterious house. But after Louise wanders in to find some help and seemingly disappears after a while, Claire and Andrew soon find they'll have to set their differences aside and cooperate to rescue their babysitter from this creepy abode.

Review: This episode is a good one in terms of its spooky factor, ultimately becoming a fun and eerie "haunted house" episode. Adding to that is Master Raymond being a literal soul-collecting villain, the souls being trapped, helplessly, within the "whispering walls" of this house (in 'Potter'-like paintings for the most part), and even acidic food that eats through things in an Alien Xenomorph blood kind of way. Despite it being one of the creepiest concepts the show has had so far, the "solve" for it is too convenient and straightforward, and sadly takes me out of it. Some consider this one a classic, but for me, it doesn't hit as hard as it could.

Final Rating: Spooked

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