Are You Afraid of the Dark? served as many budding horror fans' gateway to the genre, and here's how its seven seasons rank, worst to best. Airing as part of Nickelodeon's iconic 1990 Saturday night programming block called SNICK, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, much like FOX's competing series Goosebumps, allowed kids and younger teens an entry point to the horror world. It offered stories and monsters that could sometimes be legitimately scary or creepy, but without the gore and nudity often found in R-rated horror films.
Looked back on as an adult, a lot of the Are You Afraid of the Dark? episodes many held in high esteem as a kid don't exactly hold up as anything other than nostalgic fun, but for their target audience, they were a weekly treat. In 2019, a short Are You Afraid of the Dark? revival aired, although it ditched the old format of telling a new story every episode in favor of an American Horror Story-style season-long story.
It remains to be seen if more Are You Afraid of the Dark? seasons will arrive to convert more kids into horror fans after the pretty well-received revival, but those same viewers could always go back and check out the original series. Without any further ado, here's how all those older seasons stack up.
Season 6 (1999)
In 1996, after season 5, Are You Afraid of the Dark? appeared to end, but it was suddenly resurrected for two more seasons in 1999 and 2000. The Midnight Society group members had changed though, outside of Gary's younger brother Tucker now leading things. Sadly, seasons 5 and 6 are almost entirely unremarkable, and are noticeably less dark than the first five. There's a few decent episodes to be found in season 6, such as "The Tale of Bigfoot Ridge" and "The Tale of the Virtual Pets," but it takes the bottom spot pretty easily. Some notable guest stars to keep an eye out for are Jay Baruchel and Hayden Christensen.
Season 7 (2000)
Like season 6, Are You Afraid of the Dark? season 7 is a clear step down from the first five, but season 7 gets the higher spot due to an admittedly pretty well done opening three-part story called "The Tale of the Silver Sight." The story brings back original Midnight Society leader Gary, and is very unique in that it centers on the group itself in their real lives, and not a story they're telling. While the fact that the supernatural really exists in their world opens up a lot of questions that go unanswered as to the nature of their reality, it's a kids show, so it's not really worth digging into on that level.
Season 5 (1995-1996)
While season 5 is a big step up from seasons 6 and 7 overall, it's the least of the first five seasons due to being the most uneven. The highs of season 5 are really high, with "The Tale of the Dead Man's Float," "The Tale of Station 109.1," and "The Tale of the Night Shift," being some of the best episodes of the series, but a lot of other surrounding episodes that are pretty good at best and meh at worst. "The Tale of the Chameleons" is probably the next best episode, and has a great ending. The worst is probably "The Tale of the Manaha."
Season 2 (1993)
Some fans may be surprised to see season 2 down so low, but like season 5, it's also a bit uneven. Are You Afraid of the Dark? came out swinging with a great first season, but it almost seemed like season 2 seemed torn as to how comedic it wanted to be, such as with the exceptionally eye-roll worthy "The Tale of the Full Moon." Still, "The Tale of the Midnight Madness" is one of the best episodes of the series, as is "The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle." "The Tale of the Final Wish," "The Tale of the Thirteenth Floor," and "The Tale of Old Man Corcoran" are also very strong.
Season 4 (1994-1995)
Season 4 is definitely one of the strongest seasons of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, as we enter the cream of the crop of this ranking. Season 3 edges it out, but just barely. The best episodes of season 4 include "The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner," "The Tale of the Fire Ghost," and "The Tale of the Unfinished Painting," all in the top tier of the series. "The Tale of Train Magic" is also quite good, as is the two-part Halloween special "The Tale of Cutter's Treasure." Unfortunately, the groan-worthy "The Tale of the Renegade Virus" kicks off season 4, followed by the underwhelming "The Tale of the Long Ago Locket."
Season 3 (1994)
As mentioned, season 3 of Are You Afraid of the Dark? barely edges out season 4, although 4's highest heights are arguably higher than 3's. 3, however, is far more consistently memorable. Some real classics pop up here, including "The Tale of Watcher's Woods," the extremely silly but fun "The Tale of the Phone Police," the creepy "The Tale of the Dollmaker," and The Sixth Sense-esque "The Tale of the Dream Girl." "The Tale of the Dangerous Soup" season finale is also the best to feature recurring fan favorite Dr. Vink, and also sees Neve Campbell guest star. There actually aren't any true clunkers this season, although "The Tale of the Curious Camera" shamelessly rips off Goosebumps' "Say Cheese and Die" story.
Season 1 (1992)
Most shows don't hit their stride in season 1, but Are You Afraid of the Dark? is an exception to that rule. The series premiere, "The Tale of the Phantom Cab" perfectly sets the tone for the mix of creepiness and zaniness the show would often rely on. Then there's probably the most famous episode "The Tale of Laughing in the Dark," with Zeebo the Clown. The season's ratio of hits to misses is very lopsided, with "The Tale of the Dark Music," "The Tale of the Prom Queen," "The Tale of the Pinball Wizard," "The Tale of the Lonely Ghost," and the "Tale of the Super Specs" all being classic episodes. "The Tale of Jake and the Leprechaun" verges on the weak side, but the high number of well-remembered hits edges season 1 over season 3.