As the darkness settled in, I wanted to get into the Halloween spirit and watch some spoopy stuff. Now, it's been a pretty bleak year all round so I didn't fancy watching anything too scary or anything to contemplate the feeling of ennui- the fact that Lovecraft's cosmicism states that man is insignificance in a vast endless and uncaring expanse with forces beyond our understanding wishing to do us ill- so I decided to watch all of ‘Creeped Out’ instead.
It's a 13 part series of spooky takes created for an all ages bracket, so think more 'Goosebumps' or 'Are You Afraid Of The Dark' rather than 'It' or 'Saw'. The tales all start in the same way, a preamble about The Curious, a slight teen figure in a creepy mask who likes to collect tales of dread whilst whistling an unsettling melody. There are a mixture of American and British stories and as such, the cast is quite diverse.
The episodes are a veritable smorgasbord of horror tropes including classics like weird fun fair attraction, dodgy creepy neighbours etc but are identifiable with themes from classic cinema like 'Rear Window' and ‘Big' and more recent pretty decent fare like 'It Follows'.
The stories all have a monkeys paw ending of 'be careful what you wish for' but one of most interesting thing to note is that no matter the episode the power of the storytelling and kitchen sink creepy atmosphere made them all worthwhile watching, which is particularly impressive when you consider each episode had a tiny budget of like a fiver.
The episodes include :
Slapstick
After a puppet grants a young girl the power to control her embarrassing parents, the girl realises the true value of family. It features a creepy puppet so you know it's a bit scary.
Cat Food
When a young boy fakes being ill to stay home from school he gets more than he bargained for from his unusual cat-lady neighbour.
Trolled
When a cocky troll belittles and ridicules his private school mates online, there is a price to pay when he brings forth an ancient curse.
Marti
An unpopular girl gets a new smart phone and its AI goes crazy as it starts to take over her life.
A Boy Called Red
A boy visits his father's childhood home where a well leads to a different dimension.
The Call
An adopted teen who was found on a beach finds out that she isn't who she thinks she is and there is more to her heritage than meets her eye.
Bravery Badge
A reluctant girl scout has an interesting time away as a zombie infection turns her friends into creepy humming zombies... Why do they always hum lullabies in creepy voices and super slow?
Spaceman
When a kid leaves the city for the sticks he's worried it'll be too quiet and boring. Then he discovers an alien spacecraft and an alien creature and all bets are off.
Kindlesticks
A terrible baby sitter who scares the kids in her care to bed with terrible tales suffers a fate of her own making.
Shed No Fear
A couple of high school friends tackle a mysterious creature that lives in a shed. The creature fears light so they go about thinking about a way to jerry-rig a system to tackle it.
The Traveller
When two troublesome teens, who don't respond well to authority, are given powers to freeze time and use the power for ill there is a heavy price to pay.
Side Show Part 1 and 2
The two-parter ends the series with the story of an orphan, who is part of circus, who is looking for his real family. The 1950s Americana setting is well done and the mystery is very intriguing. The season ends on a high with this one.
Overall, tales are not scary with no real jump scares or violence but they are simply told tales told pretty well nonetheless. The stories are a little heavy handed though and lack nuance, the acting is a little hammy on occasion and the morals are obvious but it's a show for a younger audience so there you go. The strict age rating means that there is an economy of design with the creatures and powers are rarely seen. There's very little subtlety on show as the themes are covered in broad strokes but this is a beginners guide to the horror genre and is very much baby's first horror show.
My favourite 3 episodes from this series were Slapstick, Trolled and Side Show and if you've got a spare hour or so I'd definitely check these ones out. Go in knowing it's for tweens and you'll be fine, it ain't gonna win any Oscars but it's harmless slightly spooky fun.
LINK- The 13 Best ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark’ Episodes
LINK- The Secret Garden (BBC 1975 Review)
LINK- Children of the Stones Review
LINK- Dead of Night: Cult TV Review
LINK- The Stone Tapes: Cult TV Review