This three-part, self-contained limited series is about the newest member of the Midnight Society, her first scary tale, and what happens to the group when the terrifying events of her story start to actually happen in their small town.
Nickelodeon has done an incredible job of putting together this three-part series of what fans considered their favorite episodes from the 2019 classic series. Not only does it address many of the challenges teens face from their peers, but it also meddles in the mind-blowing games that we as humans play with ourselves in order to temper our fears. “Are You Afraid of The Dark?” is seemingly a rhetorical question that must be answered by a group of teenaged fear-slayers who cycle through a layer of scare tactics that are contingent upon what individuals think is the norm, versus what a group consensus among the local outcasts may be. Rachel Carpenter (Lyliana Wray), who is introduced as the newest member of her school class, is totally self-conscious about her role in the new environment, yet her quirkiness and interest in the dark side seems to be an enviable position in which she can bargain her way into acceptance into what her wayward classmates deem as the Midnight Society.
In the opening scenes, Rachel’s discarded drawing in the classroom wastebasket becomes the catalyst for her gaining entry into the club that she never knew she was being initiated into. While she is eager to follow the rules of engagement by answering scary questions left in her locker that lead her to scary places, she never imagines that her incredibly scary story of “The Tale Of Mr. Tophat” becomes a bargaining tool whereas she can gain leverage by creeping out the creepiest of the group with a story she has kept hidden from others her entire life. As Rachel begins to tell the story, the story itself comes to life and Rachel is terrified that she may no longer distinguish her past remembrance of the story from the present activities that are occurring and bringing terror into the hearts and minds of her friends.
The three episodes which include, “Part One: Submitted for Approval,” “Part Two: Opening Night,” and “Part Three: Destroy all Tophats,” all lead up to an incredibly interesting whodunit type of storytelling with a set of circumstances that brings the group together to possibly solve a crime that was never committed on the grounds of a carnival that may have never been. In spite of their fears, the group feeds off of the sheer magnitude of wretchedness that has them stretched to the limit with their own sense of discovery of what motivates them to be in the Midnight Society and to protect one another from harm. While initially, their role was to prove that Rachel was not worthy of joining their Midnight Society club, in the end, they realize that having her as a member with her experiences is far greater than not having her at all. The DVD and its episodes are full of surprises with a talented group of teens that will keep you pleasantly entertained and willfully afraid of the unknown at the same time.
Available on DVD August 11th from Paramount Home Entertainment and Nickelodeon Home Entertainment
