Nickelodeon is getting dark.
The kids network released the first teaser for its upcoming revival of the classic ’90s series “Are You Afraid of the Dark,” and the new version looks a fright more more sinister than the original. The teaser, which you can watch above, shows a new batch of kids gathered around a campfire, submitting fresh scary stories for the approval of the Midnight Society.
The trailer features ominous music and more soundbites of screaming than we ever expected to hear on the channel that brought us “Spongebob,” “Zoey 101,” and almost every other beloved kids show. Then it asks the time-worn question anew: “Are you afraid of the dark?”
The new three-episode miniseries follows an entirely new group of kids who will tell a terrifying tale about the Carnival of Doom, only to have the events of the story come to life. A premiere date has not yet been set.
The new members of the Midnight Society are: Gavin, played by Sam Ashe Arnold (“Best.Worst.Weekend.Ever.”); Akiko, played by Miya Cech (“Rim of the World,” “Always Be My Maybe”); Louise, played by Tamara Smart (“Artemis Fowl,” “The Worst Witch”); Graham, played by Jeremy Ray Taylor (“It,” “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”); and Rachel, played by Lyliana Wray (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Black-ish”). The Carnival of Doom’s ringmaster, Mr. Tophat, is played by Rafael Casal (“Blindspotting”).
Production began in June in Vancouver, Canada. Nickelodeon initially announced that the miniseries would conclude with an ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ theatrical movie from Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players’ and Nickelodeon Movies, but the film has since been pushed back from its original October 2019 release date.
The new “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”) and directed by Dean Israelite (“Power Rangers” movie, “Project Almanac”), both of whom will also executive produce. Created by D.J. MacHale and Ned Kandel, Nickelodeon’s original “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” series ran from 1992-1996 and 1999-2000.