Review: Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Re-imagined for a new generation, Nickelodeon’s all-new version of ‘90’s kids’ cult classic Are You Afraid of the Dark? arrives on DVD Tuesday, August 11, 2020 from Paramount Home Entertainment and Nickelodeon Home Entertainment. The three-part limited series follows members of an entirely new Midnight Society, who tell a terrifying tale of the Carnival of Doom and its evil ringmaster Mr. Top Hat, only to witness the shocking story come frightfully to life and prepare for an adventure beyond their wildest nightmares.

A must-own for fans of the classic series, as well as those new to the franchise, the Are You Afraid of the Dark? DVD also includes three fan-favorite episodes from the original series and will be available for the suggested retail price of $13.99.

The new members of the Midnight Society are: Rachel, played by Lyliana Wray ( Top Gun: Maverick, Black-ish); Gavin, played by Sam Ashe Arnold ( Best.Worst.Weekend.Ever.); Akiko, played by Miya Cech ( Rim of the World, Always Be My Maybe); Graham, played by Jeremy Taylor ( IT: Chapter Two, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween); and Louise, played by Tamara Smart ( Artemis Fowl, The Worst Witch).  The Carnival of Doom’s ringmaster, Mr. Tophat, is played by Rafael Casal ( Blindspotting).

Are You Afraid of the Dark? Episodes:

• Part One: Submitted For Approval
• Part Two: Opening Night
• Part Three: Destroy All Tophats

Special Features (US only):

• Original Series Season 1, Episode 2: The Tale of Laughing in the Dark
• Original Series Season 4, Episode 8: The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner
• Original Series Season 5, Episode 1: The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float

Are You Afraid of the Dark? Fast Facts:
Street Date: August 11, 2020
Catalog: 59211256000 (US)
Episodic Running Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Special Features Running Time: 1 hour, 13 minutes
Audio: Dolby Digital English 5.1, French Stereo, Spanish Stereo
Subtitles: Closed Captions
US Rating: Not Rated
US M.S.R.P.: $13.99

Are You Afraid of the Dark? is produced by ACE Entertainment ( To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, The Perfect Date) with ACE founder Matt Kaplan and Spencer Berman serving as executive producers. The series is written by BenDavid Grabinski ( Skiptrace, Happily) and directed by Dean Israelite ( Power Rangers movie, Project Almanac), both of whom are also executive producers. Chris Foss is also an executive producer.

Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a three-part reboot of the hit ‘90s series was 2019’s number-one co-viewed show across all TV and each of the three installments won their time slot, ranking as the number-one live-action series on basic cable with Kids 2-11, 6-11 and tweens 9-14.

My Thoughts

Are You Afraid of the Dark centers around a group of teens dealing with some crazy things in their neighborhood. They form a group call the Midnight Society where they share spooky stories, but soon the stories take on a life of their own.  The show is broken down into three parts including:

Part One: Submitted for Approval
Part Two: Opening Night
Part Three - Destroy All Tophats

In addition to the  new show, there are also a few bonus episodes of the 90s version. As a child of the 90s, I was really excited to see this reboot. I loved being able to share a modernized version of a classic with my kids. It was a great mini-series to enjoy together on a rainy summer night. If you'd like to purchase a copy of this spooky and fun DVD for yourself, you can find it in stores nationwide or online at Amazon.