Before streaming algorithms and TikTok scares, kids in the ’90s got their horror fix from a crackling campfire and a bag of “midnight dust.” Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the Canadian-American anthology series that aired on Nickelodeon’s SNICK block from 1992 to 2000, was an actual rite of passage for all kids growing up during that era. We were exposed to disturbing tales, an uneasy intro/theme song, and some significant surprise acting deaths.
The show was about “The Midnight Society,” a group of teenagers who told ghost stories in the woods. Each week, one boy or girl would share their story by stating the phrase “Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society” or a similar phrase, and toss a substance into the campfire, which would cause the fire to grow. Viewers were then pulled into the story — haunted by ghosts, witches, vampires, or whatever else lurked in the shadows.
Developed by D.J. MacHale and Ned Kandel, and shot mainly in Montreal, the program mixed The Twilight Zone‘s moral intensity with the spirit of a campfire story. It was the sort of program where you held a blanket to your chin and were poised to change the channel if your parents entered the room.
‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ Was a Playground for Future A-Listers Like Ryan Gosling
It wasn’t just the stories that stuck with fans — it was the faces. Are You Afraid of the Dark? became an unexpected training ground for actors who would later headline major Hollywood projects. For one, Ryan Gosling appeared in the 1995 episode “The Tale of Station 109.1,” playing a bratty older brother who accidentally gets caught between life and death — a far cry from his Barbie swagger or Drive stoicism. And sharing the screen with him? None other than the late comedian Gilbert Gottfried as a demonic DJ.
Neve Campbell, before she was the ultimate Final Girl in Scream, got an early scare as Nonnie in “The Tale of the Dangerous Soup,” proving she could scream long before Ghostface came calling. Melissa Joan Hart, best known later as the star of Clarissa Explains It All, played a babysitter who becomes seemingly trapped in a haunted mansion in the episode “The Tale of the Frozen Ghost.”
In addition, the series also provided some beginning credits for future stars who would move on to larger careers, including Elisha Cuthbert (24), Hayden Christensen (Star Wars), JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Sweet Magnolias), Emily VanCamp (Revenge), Jay Baruchel (This Is the End), and twins Tia and Tamera Mowry on television. All of these actors literally compose a kind of who’s-who of late ’90s and early ’00s television, receiving their horror credit below in smaller productions before moving on to more substantial scare messages in larger projects.
Why ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ Deserves Another Look This Halloween
Although it was aimed at a younger audience, the series still rarely infantilized the plot or characters with all due respect. The main stories dabbled in genuine dread — cursed objects, evil clowns, and moral ambiguity. Some episodes concluded on a cheerful note; others allowed darkness to prevail. It was not blood, guts, or shock value that made it successful; it was the mood, mystery, and slow realization that the world was not always a safe place after the lights went out.
The show’s formula proved to be timeless. It returned in 1999, with new Midnight Society members like Tucker (Daniel DeSanto), Megan, and Vange, and reimagined these stories for a new audience, staying true to the original spirit. Twenty years later, Nickelodeon revived the series again, this time with Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Carnival of Doom in 2019 with renewed seasons ever since, each with their own stories, Curse of the Shadows, and Ghost Island. Each revival considered the campfire sort of nostalgia and reimagined these stories for a new generation of horror fans against the backdrop of modern technology, identity, and belonging.
Even when it was pulled from Paramount+ in 2024 as part of a content purge, fans rallied around the series online, trading memories and fan theories about the scariest “Tale” episodes.
Part of Are You Afraid of the Dark?’s legacy is its invitation to its audience to participate. The Midnight Society weren’t supernatural beings — they were kids who loved stories, just like the viewers at home. By framing each episode as a shared act of imagination, the series taught an entire generation that fear could be fun — and that storytelling itself was the most powerful magic of all.
That approach ripples through today’s horror landscape. From Stranger Things to Goosebumps, you can trace a direct line back to the flickering firelight of Are You Afraid of the Dark?. The show’s mix of sincerity and shivers made horror accessible — and even comforting — to kids who’d grow up to write, act, and direct their own scary stories.
