Tales from the Midnight Society around the bonfire begin again, as Nickelodeon is in production on and has cast a revived Are You Afraid of the Dark? Are You Afraid Of The Dark? is just one of several series bursting with nostalgia that Nickelodeon has on the roster. The network is also planning a Spongebob SquarePants spinoff, Blue’s Clues remake and All That revival.
Created by D.J. MacHale and Ned Kandel, Are You Afraid of the Dark? broke the mold for young adult television on Nickelodeon. Set in the same horror-themed anthology vein as The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror, each episode revolves around a group of teenagers who refer to themselves as “The Midnight Society”. Meeting in a secret location in the woods at night, one member is tasked with sharing a scary tale to the group. Beginning with the phrase “Submitted for the approval of” - as a nod to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone introduction - viewers were shown the actual story, rather than the telling. Are You Afraid of the Dark? touched on a slew of urban legends and horror-themes, including, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and magic. The series aired on Nickelodeon from 1990-1996 and again from 1999-2000. As the members of the Midnight Society moved on, the impactful show remained in the back of viewers' minds. Now, Nickelodeon is working on giving the series a fresh start.
According to Deadline, new members for the Midnight Society have been selected. The group sitting around the campfire will include Jeremy Taylor (IT), Sam Ashe Arnold (Best.Worst.Weekend.Ever), Tamara Smart (Artemis Fowl), Lyliana Wray (Black-ish), and Miya Cech (Rim of the World). The three episode hour-long series will tell the tale of "The Carnival of Doom" - with the events of the story coming to life. Rafael Casal (Blindspotting) has been tapped to play Mr. Tophat, the carnival’s ringmaster. Production is expected to begin this month in Canada and a premiere date is slated for October. In 2017, it was announced that a film adaptation by Paramount of the series was in the works. Are You Afraid Of The Dark? the film was intended to coincide with the revival's release date, however, the release date for the movie adaptation has been delayed.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? is being produced by ACE Entertainment. The revival is in the creative hands of executive producers Matt Kaplan and Spencer Berman. BenDavid Grabinski (Happily) serves as the writer and Dean Israelite (Power Rangers) has been tapped to direct - and both will also executive produce. As the Are You Afraid of the Dark? revival plunges forward, it's still unclear when the film adaption will see the light of day.
The revival of Are You Afraid of the Dark? is arriving at the height of excitement for teen-oriented horror, with Stranger Things, Fear Street, and Goosebumps being the talk of the town. Viewers might believe that the Are You Afraid Of The Dark? revival is piggybacking on the success of those titles, when in fact, it was Are You Afraid Of The Dark? that helped build the platform these projects stand on. No doubt Nickelodeon’s revival will attract previous and fresh viewers, and sign off Are You Afraid Of The Dark? with a red bucket of water thrown on the fire, and cautiously closed ending.
Source: Deadline