Creator(s) – BenDavid Grabinski (Cost of Living, Enormous), Ned Kandel (Chris Cross, Are You Afraid of the Dark?), and D.J. MacHale (The Wonderful World of Disney, ABC Afterschool Specials)
Starring – Bryce Gheisar (Walk the Prank, Wonder), Malia Baker (The Flash, The Twilight Zone), and Beatrice Kitsos (Child’s Play, The Exorcist)
Release Date – 2021
Rating – 3.5/5
Are You Afraid of the Dark?, along with Goosebumps, were major influences on me when I was growing up. I was burning through episodes of AYAotD? when I was at home and reading every release of Goosebumps I could get my hands on at school. These children oriented horror tales are something I still look forward to. I can watched some of the most fucked up and goriest horror films available but still find myself having more fun with films and shows like Stranger Things, It, Fear Street, and so on.
Last year, or the year before, I found myself really drawn to the Are You Afraid of the Dark? revival film that was really three episodes pulled together to make a film. After seeing it I wasn’t impressed but it wasn’t a bad experience either. When I saw that a second season, Curse of the Shadows, was getting a release I was on the fence about it. I noticed that the cast from the first film wasn’t returning yet it was being billed as the second season. Regardless, my curiosity got the best of me and I reached out for a review copy. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it.
**Spoiler Alert** The season follows the Midnight Society who is looking for a missing member of their group. When he fails to show up for school they start retracing his steps where they learn he stole from a magic shop and entered the cursed woods. The closer they get to their missing friend the deeper into danger they go when they released that the cursed woods are really cursed by a shadow man and the curse is linked to the death of a young girl from the early 90s. **Spoiler Alert**
Curse of the Shadows doesn’t have the atmosphere, tension, or chills of the original series but it is leagues above the reboot from a year or so ago. What made the original run of the series so entertaining was that it was a true anthology series with very few stories intersecting with others. Curse of the Shadows is more focused on the characters and the overall arching story instead of the group actually telling stories. Honestly, this second season was more like Stranger Things than it was Are You Afraid of the Dark? but it was still fun.
The acting in this one is impressive. Anytime I watch a show or film with a cast as young as this one I always find myself completely shocked by how actors that young can act like that. The characters are fairly generic but they work well for the story with the cast delivering phenomenal performances.
The story for this one doesn’t really feel like a fitting tribute to the original AYAotD?. In fact, if you was to remove the mention of The Midnight Society you wouldn’t even know it was AYAotD? aside from the very convincing son of Sardo. A new title and a few tweaks on the story could have resulted in another new horror property for young adults. I say this because I am a little bitter that it doesn’t play out like the classic show with each episode featuring a new story. That was what made Are You Afraid of the Dark? so entertaining. Removing that from the show is like removing the cryptkeeper from Tales from the Crypt. The anthology aspect is why so many loved the show. With that being said, I loved Sardo’s son in the film and the shadow man and the curse was surprisingly fun. I do look forward to future seasons but I don’t understand why this had to be titled the way it was.
Finally, don’t expect blood and gore in this one. However, if cgi creature are more your speed then you are in luck. I’m a fan of how the monster looked but there was a few times where the cgi didn’t really match the film. It looks a little rushed and not as smooth as the rest of the scene. Overall, Curse of the Shadows is a seriously fun watch. Honestly, I enjoyed it a lot more than I should have but the fact that it’s titled Are You Afraid of the Dark? but doesn’t feature the classic tales around the campfire is a bit disappointing. Regardless, this one is worth a watch and I highly recommend it.
