Sunday 11 December 2011

Are You Afraid of the Dark?




Are You Afraid of the Dark? is a joint Canadian-American horror/fantasy-themed anthology series. The original series was a joint production between the Canadian company Cinar and the American company Nickelodeon. The show was filmed in Richmond,British Columbia and MontrealQuebec.
The episode "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" was aired as a pilot on the evening of October 31, 1991 in the USA and more than a year earlier in October 1990 in Canada. Are You Afraid of the Dark? was aired from August 15, 1992 to April 20, 1996 on Nickelodeon's SNICKAre You Afraid of the Dark? also aired on the Canadian television network YTV.
A revived series with new directors, writers, and cast was produced by Nickelodeon from 1999 to 2000 and also aired on SNICK. The sole member from the original lineup to return for the sixth and seventh seasons was Tucker (Daniel DeSanto), although Ross Hullreturned for the concluding miniseries, which notably broke from the show's established format by blurring the line between story and reality.
Both series of Are You Afraid of the Dark? revolves around a group of teenagers who referred to themselves as "The Midnight Society". Every week, at a secret location in the woods, one member would tell a scary story to the group. The actual story, rather than the telling, was displayed to the television viewer. The story was shown between the group's arrival at the site and their departure. Each storyteller would begin their story by saying "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story..." at which point they would toss out a handful of regular sugar[1](which the characters referred to as "midnight dust") from a leather pouch into a campfire to heighten the flames and produce an eerie white smoke. The storyteller would continue by announcing its title (The Tale of...).
The themes of the stories usually revolves around a variety of paranormal phenomena, such as ghostsgoblinsmagicDragonshaunted housesmagical cursesalienswitches and the like coming into contact with average youths. Usually, the episodes were either filmed in the woods, in abandoned houses, or in public places like schools or libraries.
Sources of these tales vary in different ways; many were adaptations of public domain fairy tales and short stories or urban legends. For example, the episode "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" is an adaptation of W.W. Jacobs' legendary short story "The Monkey's Paw".
Sometimes, the stories were inspired by a certain event in the life of the storyteller. In the episode "The Tale of the Crimson Clown", for instance, Tucker blackmailed his brother Gary with a poem he had found, which Gary had written for Samantha. Gary then told a story in which a naughty younger brother was punished cruelly for his evil deeds. At the end of the episode, Tucker gave the poem back to his brother.
Many of the horror stories on Are You Afraid of the Dark? ended with a "happy ending"; for example, in the episode "The Tale of the Lonely Ghost," a dead child and her elderly mother are reunited. Nearly every story focused on ending with a resolution and the main character's safe escape from whatever trouble had come upon them.
However, the occasional episode would deviate from this formula, usually ending with the demise of the character. In one notable case, "The Tale of the Dark Music", the unseen monster offers the lead character anything he wants in exchange for humans as food (which could still be interpreted as a happy ending for the lead character). Another, more extreme example, is seen in "The Tale of Vampire Town", where the lead character, a goth character who is obsessed with vampires, abandons the dark clothing and such by the end of the episode, only to be killed by a vampire himself.
At the end of most episodes, one character (usually Gary in the first run and Tucker in the second run of the show) would throw a red bucket of water onto the fire, stating "I declare this meeting of the Midnight Society closed," and the group would leave the campsite, thus ending the storytelling. Sometimes, the story would be related to an event (e.g. in "The Tale of Laughing in the Dark," Kristen, who was afraid of clowns, ran off when Eric put on a clown mask. Then, everyone chased after her). This would cause either Gary or Tucker to hurriedly dump the water on the fire and the Midnight Society would run off to wherever they go after meetings.

The Midnight Society

Each member of the Midnight Society from 1991-1996 has a distinct personality, and a notable trend in their story telling. Though not all of their stories have similar styles and plots, many of the stories each character carries a unique aspect that reflects the nature of the storyteller, and what they find to be most important to themselves. In the second generation, the characters derive their stories more from events that happen during the days leading up to the society meetings instead of from their personal interests and views. Many of the later episodes were simply given to a random society member to tell.

First Generation

Gary: An unassuming, bookish looking young man. The founder of the Midnight Society. Gary has a distinct fascination with magic, especially where the magician Houdini is concerned. His stories tend to revolve around cursed or enchanted objects with supernatural properties, and how in the wrong hands they can cause disaster for both the holder, and those around them.
Betty Anne: A vibrant girl who has an open and eager passion for the bizarre and twisted. Her stories often include themes where an alien or supernatural force is either trying to break into the world of the characters, or else trying to drag them into their own unnatural realms. Her stories tend to have twists reminiscent of Twilight Zone episodes, hinting that the protagonists of her stories have not yet escaped danger.
Kiki: A spunky, tomboyish girl who often makes fun of others. Many of her stories involve plots where the danger of carelessness or deceitfulness, as well as the danger of the past repeating itself. Also notable is that large number of the characters in her stories are also of African American descent, though the trend dies off later on in the series.
Frank: A punkish teenager with an in-your-face attitude. Though his stories don't often have a running theme, they do often have the recurring character Dr. Vink appear as the villain, or at least, the creator of the story's antagonist.
Tucker: Gary's younger brother, and the youngest member of the Midnight Society. Due to his age, he is often portrayed as youthfully obnoxious. His stories tend to involve family relationships that are at first sour, but grow in strength in the face of adversity, possibly reflecting his relationship with his brother Gary. There is also a running theme of the characters accidentally unleashing evil upon their world. After Gary left, he took over his place as the president of The Midnight Society. Once Tucker is in charge, he's less of a brat and more of a serious leader like his older brother. Though its never mentioned, the notable difference in their ethnicity may hint that Gary and Tucker are actually step brothers, and underline the difficulties of their relationship.
Sam: A shy girl with an obvious mutual crush on Gary, which becomes one of the highlighted arch of both their developments in the series. Reflecting this affection for Gary, Sam's stories tend to have more of a strong theme of love, and its endurance even beyond death.
Kristen: A girl who though squeamish about much else, has a fondness for ghost stories and fairy tales. She has a growing crush on David, and their affection for each other is a developing arch in the first few seasons. She likes to dress up for her storytelling, and her stories almost always deal with ghosts from the past who have unfinished business that they cannot complete without the aid of the living.
David: A quiet boy with a mysterious expression. Reflecting his introverted nature, and need to deal with his crush on Kristen, David's stories tend to be less about malignant outside forces, and more to do with the evil of past events left unresolved, or the darkness inside normal people, and the consequences of not dealing with their actions.
Stig: His nickname may come from the term stigma, as he is marked an outsider for his notable lack of hygiene, Stig is the last initiate to be entered into the Midnight Society's generation at the time. As such, he has only two stories in the series before the cast is changed. Due to the aversion people seem to have against him for his looks, both his stories seem to revolve around outsiders judged for their appearances and tastes.
Eric: Eric is portrayed as a diminutive teenager with visible Irish ancestry that influences his first story. As he has only had two stories in the first season before his character was cut, there is no visible theme in his storytelling. He is the least charismatic character after Frank, making it easy to understand why he was cut so quickly. He is the only character to leave the show without any explanation for his departure.

Second Generation

Several years after the last meeting of the Midnight Society, Tucker returns to reinitialize the meetings, inviting his own circle of friends to reform the Midnight Society.
Quinn: Quinn is usually getting in trouble at school and at home, but he is a smart kid that likes to make fun of Andy teamed up with Vange. His stories will make you cringe.
Vange: Vange (short for Evangeline) is the youngest of the New Midnight Society. She is a tomboy and doesn't have a problem with speaking her mind. Teamed up with Quinn she makes fun of Andy a lot.
Andy: As mean as he may look to you, Andy is very sweet and kind. He is always being made fun of by Quinn and Vange for having more muscle than brains. He lives on a farm with his family. He often works there before and after school.
Megan: Megan is a rich kid who is not very comfortable in the woods. She would rather hold the New Midnight Society Meetings in her own, well-managed, backyard. Tucker, not being the stickler his brother was, lets Megan refurnish the campfire with some comfortable old couches.

The Midnight Society (1991–1996)

Actor/ActressRoleYears
Ross HullGary1991–1996 (also appeared in "The Tale of the Silver Sight", 3 episodes, in 2000)
Raine Pare-CoullBetty Ann1991–1996
Jodie RestherKiki1991–1996
Jason AlisharanFrank1991–1995
Daniel DeSantoTucker1993–1996
Joanna GarcíaSamantha1993–1996
Rachel BlanchardKristen1991–1993
Nathaniel MoreauDavid1991–1993
Codie WilbeeStig1995–1996
Jacob TierneyEric


1991–1992











One of the more significant recurring characters was Sardo (Richard Dumont), owner of "Sardo's Magic Mansion" (a magic shop). He would often attempt to sell a character a "prized" item, succeeding almost every single time. He often had items in his shop that contained real properties of magic, yet did not know until it was revealed in the story. One of the most memorable recurring jokes in the series occurred when someone would address him as "Mr. Sardo". He would then get irritated and exclaim: "That's SarDO! No mister; accent on the doh!" Another recurring line was: "Have you seen our vomit?" Additionally, when selling someone an item, he would often ask a rather high price. The main character would mention how much money they had, and Sardo would grab the money saying, "But I'm losing on the deal." Although he rarely got what he wanted, he would often end up helping the characters, often unintentionally. He appeared in Gary's stories although in the later seasons, he appeared in a two of Tucker's and one of David's in the episode "The Tale Of The Dark Dragon".
Another recurring character was Dr. Vink (Aron Tager). He was a physically imposing man who would often appear as a mad scientist, sorcerer, and the like. When he enters, he introduces himself by saying, "Vink's the name. Dr. Vink." He would also get his name mispronounced, usually something like "Dr. Fink?" When this happened, he would respond "Vink. With a va-va-va". Often, the protagonist would call him a "nutbag" behind his back, assuming he could not hear him, only to have him reply later, "...and I am not a nutbag." Unlike Sardo whose character was set in a magic shop, Dr. Vink had many 'unique endeavors' as he called them, for his stories. These ranged from living deep in the woods conducting strange nature experiments, being a retired filmmaker, owning his own restaurant as head chef and lastly a barbershop. His activities were usually villainous and designed to put the characters in peril and allow him the last laugh. However in his last appearance, "The Tale of Cutter's Treasure" (which was told by both Frank and Gary), he allied himself with Sardo and the main characters without his usual maliciousness. He appeared in Frank's stories. Aron Tager also played the carnival worker who stands in front of the Funhouse and invites people to go inside in the episode "The Tale of the Laughing in the Dark".
The character of Zeebo the Clown, also played by Tager, who appeared in "The Tale of Laughing in the Dark" is referenced in several other stories, for example, in the episode "The Tale of the Whispering Walls", two children mention seeing him at a fun park, in the episode "The Tale of the Mystical Mirror", a girl says she will look like Zeebo if she wears too much lipstick, and in the episode "The Tale of the Crimson Clown" in the boys room a video game called Zeebo's Big House can be seen on the desk with a picture of Zeebo on it as the title character. The video game was also mentioned in the episode "The Tale of Train Magic". Finally, in the episode "The Tale of the Night Shift", the teenage janitor is called Zeebo by his supervisor a few times at the beginning of the episode.
The villain, the "Ghastly Grinner" (star of "Tale of the Ghastly Grinner"), like Zeebo the Clown, appears in a comic book that "Dark" characters read. In "Tale of the Ghastly Grinner", The Grinner is shown as being the star of a comic book.
Although not nearly as prestigious as the guest stars of similar shows such as Tales from the CryptThe Twilight Zone and Tales from the Darkside there were a fair number of notable actors, many of whom would become much more famous later in their careers. Some of these include Mia KirshnerBobcat GoldthwaitCharles S. DuttonRyan GoslingNeve CampbellWill FriedleMelissa Joan HartKim SchranerFrank GorshinHayden ChristensenDaniel ClarkRyan CooleyTia MowryTamera MowryLaura VandervoortDanny CookseyTara LipinskiJay BaruchelJewel StaiteEmmanuelle ChriquiGilbert GottfriedJennifer FinniganTatyana AliJennifer IrwinAaron AshmoreChristopher CastileColin FergusonEddie Kaye ThomasGregory SmithHarold HowardRichard Church and Laura Bertram.
  • Nickelodeon (October 31, 1991 - June 11, 2000)
  • Family (October 31, 1999 - June 11, 2002)
  • SNICK (August 15, 1992 - 1996; 1999)
  • TEENick (October 6, 2001 - October 27, 2001)
  • The N (October 20, 2008 - November 1, 2008)
  • TeenNick (October 28, 2011 - October 31, 2011)
  • Nicktoons (October 20, 2008 - October 31, 2008)
  • CITV
  • The Click on TeenNick.com (October 23, 2009 - November 5, 2009)
Reruns of the series have since been broadcast internationally, including airings in the United KingdomRepublic of IrelandGermanyAustraliaBrazilArgentinaPeruSpainSerbia,ItalyIndiaVenezuelaIsraelFranceSouth KoreaJapanChileChinaTaiwanHong KongSingaporePolandRussiaKazakhstan, the Czech RepublicDenmarkNorway,MacedoniaSwedenPortugal, the NetherlandsMalaysia and the Philippines.



The Adrenaline Project



The Adrenaline Project is a Canadian extreme sports reality TV show. Season one premiered September 29, 2007 on YTV's Get Real! at 7:00 p.m. ET,[1] and on FOX's 4Kids TV at 8:00 a.m. ET.[2] The show is hosted by former MuchMoreMusic VJ Richard Cazeau, and also features Boomer Phillips.
Season two was hosted by Boomer Phillips and the 26 episode season premiered September 6, 2008 6:00pm ET on YTV. This season was not seen in the US, as 4Kids TV cancelled the series on April 5, 2008, and was not moved to its successor block, The CW4Kids.
In season 1 each week, The Adrenaline Project takes five teens to complete in physical and mental challenges. Only three survive the first elimination round, and compete to win the competition and associated prizes. In Season 2, six teens compete each week in a tournament that spans half of the season. In each of the two semifinals, five winners and one wild card compete in a series of three rounds in the same format. The two semifinal winners move on to the final to compete in a series of three challenges to determine the Ultimate Adrenalite. The second half of the season has 60 new competitors competing in the same tournament format.[3] In addition, winners of this season would win a trip to Walt Disney World.[4]
The Adrenaline Project is a marblemedia production, and created by Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg. Despite the fact that the show is a Canadian production, the version airing on YTV is not entirely the same as the version airing on 4Kids TV. As, during the episode, in the American broadcasts, trivia will appear either horizontally or vertically displaying factoids relating to that particular event. This does not appear in the version airing on YTV; it is unknown if this was done by marblemedia or by 4kids Entertainment to ensure the shows' E/I status on 4Kids TV.
The show began airing in Latin America starting April 4, 2009 on Boomerang.
Caz is the co-host of The Adrenaline Project Season 1. Each week, Caz joins the three contestants that make it past Boomer's basic training, and travels with them to the destination for that week's final challenge. While the contestants won't know what they're in for until the last moment, Caz will guide them through the final challenge.
Caz does not appear in Season 2.
Boomer does the basic training for the five contestants and during the two rounds, the last place player is eliminated.
In Season 2, Boomer is the sole host. He does basic training with the six contestants and hosts each of the three challenges.

Season 1: 2007-2008

  • Episode 1 - Cliff Hanger - September 29, 2007
Winner - Klayton Deisman
  • Episode 2 - Under Pressure - October 13, 2007
Winner - Zamir Janmohamed
  • Episode 3 - Draw the Line (also known as Zipline) - October 20, 2007
Winner - Alex Condie (whose real-life sister, Nicki, later appeared in season 2's Breaking Away)
  • Episode 4 - A Rock and a Hard Place - October 27, 2007
Winner - Derek Falk
  • Episode 5 - Up The Creek - November 10, 2007
Winner - Zenon Squire
  • Episode 6 - Sea What I Mean? - November 17, 2007
Winner - Lindsay Hamilton
  • Episode 7 - Leap of Faith - November 24, 2007
Winner - Shaydel Marcellin
  • Episode 8 - Trail Blazer - December 1, 2007
Winner - William Dresham
  • Episode 9 - Mush - December 8, 2007
Winner - Alex Clarke
  • Episode 10 - Water Walker - December 15, 2007
Winner - Kaleb Schwarz
  • Episode 11 - Don't Cross Me - January 19, 2008
Winner - Jade Papke
  • Episode 12 - In Thin Air - January 26, 2008
Winner - Brandon Austin
  • Episode 13 - I Can Dig It - February 2, 2008
Winner - Taz Madden

Season 2: 2008-2009

Season 2 did not air on 4Kids TV, but only on YTV.

First Tournament

  • Episode 14 - Houdini - September 20, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Paige Haight
  • Episode 15 - Bridge It - September 27, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Andrew Brownlee
  • Episode 16 - Air Cadets - October 4, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Dylan Stephans
  • Episode 17 - Drop the Rope - October 11, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Tucker McNee
  • Episode 18 - Beauty Queens - October 18, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Selina Mendez
  • Episode 19 - Keys to Your Future - October 25, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Josh Evans
  • Episode 20 - X-Sports - November 1, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Kasper Sherk
  • Episode 21 - Twins - November 8, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Zachary Moore
  • Episode 22 - Breaking Away - November 15, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Logan Cordiner
  • Episode 23 - Karate Kids - November 15, 2008
Winner and semifinalist - Jamal Muckett
  • Episode 24 - Semi-Finals #1 - November 22, 2008
Winner and finalist - Andrew Brownlee
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stAndrew1stSafeWinner
2ndSelina1stSafeRunner-Up
3rdZachary1stEliminated
4thTuckerSafeEliminated
6thLoganEliminated
6thHarrisonEliminated
  • Episode 25 - Semi-Finals #2 - November 22, 2008
Winner and finalist - Kasper Sherk
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stKasper2nd2ndWinner
2ndJamal1st1stRunner-Up
3rdJosh2ndEliminated
4thPaige1stEliminated
6thDylanEliminated
6thSophieEliminated
  • Episode 26 - The Ultimate Adrenalizer - November 29, 2008
Winner - Andrew Brownlee

Second Tournament

  • Episode 27 - Up, Up and Away - January 27, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Rachel
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stRachel2ndsafeWinner
2ndWilliam2ndsafeRunner-Up
3rdDenver1stEliminated
4thRachel1stEliminated
6thBrittneyEliminated
6thNicEliminated
  • Episode 28 - Cannon Ball - February 3, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Scott
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stScottWinner
2ndLeonney2nd1stRunner-Up
4thTyler1stEliminated
4thTony2ndEliminated
6thJordanEliminated
6thHasinaEliminated
  • Episode 29 - All in the Family - February 10, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Mitch Morris
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stMitch1st1stWinner
2ndReid1st2ndRunner-Up
3rdSteve2ndEliminated
4thKate2ndEliminated
6thAdrienneEliminated
6thJoanneEliminated
  • Episode 30 - Locked, Loaded, and Loose - June 17, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Sarah Clark
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stSarah1stSafeWinner
2ndBlake1stSafeRunner-Up
3rdMelanie1stEliminated
4thElianeSafeEliminated
6thNickEliminated
6thLillianEliminated
  • Episode 31 - Around the Horn - June 24, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Nano Clow
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stNano1st1stWinner
2ndMegan1st2ndRunner-Up
4thAiden1stEliminated
4thJessicaSafeEliminated
6thRebeccaEliminated
6thErmaisEliminated
  • Episode 32 - Human Pendulum - July 3, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - George Smiths
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stGeorge1st1stWinner
2ndSophia2nd2ndRunner-Up
3rdJoel1stEliminated
4thRichard2ndEliminated
6thLauraEliminated
6thClarissaEliminated
  • Episode 33 - Cheerleaders - July 10, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Kiki Contrado
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stKiki2ndSafeWinner
2ndEmma1stSafeRunner-Up
3rdChino1stEliminated
4thKelsey2ndEliminated
6thChristlyEliminated
6thCarlyEliminated
  • Episode 34 - Models - July 17, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Jordan Murrell
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stJordan1st2ndWinner
2ndVictoria1st1stRunner-Up
4thMichael1stEliminated
4thJoshSafeEliminated
6thKyanaEliminated
6thJessicaWithdrew*
Jessica withdrew because of a leg injury and had to be sent to the hospital. She didn't compete in the elimination challenge
  • Episode 35 - Battleball Regatta - July 24, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Mark Gaudet
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stMarkSafeSafeWinner
2ndHolly1stSafeRunner-Up
3rdChristiana1stEliminated
4thSimrin1stEliminated
6thMikeEliminated
6thJoshEliminated
  • Episode 36 - Scouts - July 31, 2009
Winner and semifinalist - Stephanie Forsyth
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stStephanie2nd1stWinner
2ndEvan2nd2ndRunner-Up
3rdIan1stEliminated
4thMathew1stEliminated
6thEmilyEliminated
6thAlexEliminated
  • Episode 37 - First Semi-Final - August 7, 2009
Winner and finalist - Dimytry
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stDimytry1stSafeWinner
2ndStephanie1stSafeRunner-Up
3rdKiki1stEliminated
4thJordanSafeEliminated
6thRachelEliminated
6thHollyEliminated
  • Episode 38 - Second Semi-Final - April 14, 2009
Winner and finalist - Nano Claw
Competition:Finals
PlaceContestantResult
1stNano1st2ndWinner
2ndMark2nd1stRunner-Up
4thScott1stEliminated
4thSarah2ndEliminated
6thMitchEliminated
6thSophiaEliminated
  • Episode 39 - The Adrenaline Project Finals - April 21, 2009
Ultimate Adrenalite- Nano Clow
Main Theme Song: Glory - These Silhouettes
      • Note: This song was not recorded by the band These Silhouettes entirely. This was sung by Stuart Aiken from the band, but was also written by Jesse Colborne and Aaron Verdonk (of stereos)
The Adrenaline Project has been nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series.
(all the information about this article was taken by http://en.wikipedia.org)