Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Tales Not Accepted By The Midnight Society.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? was a horror television show known for pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable viewing for kids. However, some tales were deemed unfit for network television. Here's a list of some of those tales.

The Tale of the Ancient Ghost

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This story features many of the show's common tropes. Brian, a new kid in town, stumbles upon an abandoned house to find a ghostly resident from years past. However, the only scary aspect of the ghost is its backwards and far from politically correct social beliefs. Brian ends up teaming up with the American Civil Liberties Union to create a presentation on tolerance that banishes the ghost to a less accepting realm. The show's producers believed the public wasn't ready for such a groundbreaking story.

The Tale of the Energizer Bunny

Via toledoblade.com

This story was not approved due to it's overt use of product placement. Jimmy, a new boy in the town of Energizer Heights, finds out his that his neighbors use Duracell batteries and so must be the worst sort of monsters in existence. He finds an ancient battery-powered tome from the Energizer High School library and summons the Energizer Bunny to rid the world of his evil neighbors. The last five minutes of the tale find Jimmy explaining the differences in battery sizes to nobody in particular.

The Tale of Jaws

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Explicitly stealing the plot of the film Jaws, this tale was passed over due to not being believable.

The Tale of the Real Estate Bubble

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While presciently predicting the collapse of the housing market, this tale too often relied on charts and graphs to depict the terrifying insecurity of owning real estate. The episode was to show Shelly, a new girl in town, moving into a demonically possessed home, which a bank then non-demonically repossesses, leaving her and her family homeless.

The Tale of the New Kid in Town

Via floridarep.org

Submitted as the third season's final tale, it's easy to tell that the writers were running out of ideas. Tyler, a new kid in town, begins his first day in the town of New Town only to find that everyone else in New Town is a new kid. As Tyler and his new friends attempt to uncover the mystery of how all New Town residents moved in on the exact same day, several new monsters move into town. The episode ends with the realization that moving to a new town is often the scariest part of life. The tale was rejected due to pacing issues.

The Tale of the Trade

Via sportsnet.ca

Being a Canadian show, hockey was featured in the background of several episodes. However, this tale solely featured a look back at news reports of the 1988 trade sending famed Canadian and Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky to the American Los Angeles Kings. Canadian television executives refused the tale, claiming that children shouldn't have to know how horrifying real life can be.

The Tale of the Stupid Television Network

Via blackyouthproject.com

Realizing the show was going to be canceled, writers penned this tale of spite about a television network called Mickelodeon whose stupid programming decisions ruined the minds of every child in the world. After reading the title of the tale and noticing the middle fingers drawn all over the script, the higher-ups decided against using it.