There is always something exciting and fun about telling horror stories around a campfire. Whether it's the good company, the fire, or simply the fact that you are outside in the dark, surrounded by the woods which is pretty unsettling, each of the stories we hear are always unsettling because they fueled our imaginations and feed off of our fear and fascination with the unknown.
This show is my third favorite anthology horror and it's one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I really put this show high in my book because this is another childhood gem of mine, I've seen this show when I was about 10 years old. At the time I wasn't really into scary stories let alone wasn't even a fan of the horror genre. Nor was I even familiar with anthology horror. But this show was a pleasant surprise, it was scary at least from a kid's prospective but it was also fascinating and fun because with each story and episode it was always something different, you just never knew what to expect which I loved because finding that good or great episode/story that sticks with you was like finding buried treasure.
I really love the format of the show, from how it starts out where it's a campfire with an ensemble cast of kids and each of them had a story to tell and threw magic dust on the fire to start us off. This sequence in a way got the whole stories in the campfire trend going again as some of my friends late at night would go out on the weekend and listen or tell horror stories by the fire. But the ensemble of kids were solid, despite all horror hosts by their nature, each of the kids actually had a distinctive persona's which kinda make them all stick out but also shows they have different styles to their story telling.
I even really like that opening and the end theme song which is one of my favorite theme songs of all time. That opening is still one of the creepiest and scariest openings I've ever seen, it's just as creepy as the opening for the TV show "Tales from the Darkside" You just see a lot of random items all in the darkness along with some eerie tune which just adds to your chills because in each image your completely in the dark (no pun intended) from a swing that is still slightly swings is it a gust of wind or is there a ghost. Down to a key hole with some light coming out and possibly hearing footsteps, is there a sinister presence coming near.
It's true the only bad thing about the show is some effects aren't that good, but hey the show was done on a modest budget and it's a prime time kids show so they had to work with it. However what really gives this show fire is in the stories themselves and most of them are great and memorable. And most of these stories had minimum effects and also there is no gore not just because this was a kids show but because it didn't need it because it was using atmosphere, mood, and content to deliver the scares, and that's fine by me it is once again an example showing that horror doesn't have to rely on gore to be good and scary.
To me this show was sort of modern day Brothers Grimm and Folklore, most of those stories despite being in the realm of fantasy all also contained elements of horror, but also for a few morality. Four of my favorites are "The Pinball Wizard" that one was a fun one, it was pretty much similar to "The Biship of Battle" tale from the 80's film "Nightmares" just like in that tale, the protagonists had a gaming addiction and unfortunately has to play for keeps as the game comes to life. It was just awesome how the mall was used as a battle ground like in the film "Dawn of the Dead".
Another of course is "The Prom Queen" which is a modern take on an urban legend, in a way it could of been an episode of "Koljak the Night Stalker" as this story had investigative intrigue.
Third is "The Dark Dragon" which is kinda a dark version of Cinderella, this almost looked like the kind of tale Croninberg could've directed as we see some bodily horror, the make up effects are really on par.
And my favorite "Tale of the Dream Girl" which is emotional and like the film "Angel Heart" will have a twist you won't see coming.
I even like the fact that some of the story's had a reoccurring character or two from the creepy but blackly funny Dr. Fink but my favorite one is Sardo whom is kinda an colorful, eccentric and gay magician (or he just seemed that way). It was an interesting ploy for me and is something most anthology rarely do (except for the film "Trick or Treat") by interconnect characters and just showing how most of the tales are taking place in the same universe.
So for kids that want to get into horror this is a good place to start, and for the adult for the kid inside it's a great nostalgic ride. Just like an eternal flame, this show's fire still burns bright.
Rating: 4 stars
This show is my third favorite anthology horror and it's one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I really put this show high in my book because this is another childhood gem of mine, I've seen this show when I was about 10 years old. At the time I wasn't really into scary stories let alone wasn't even a fan of the horror genre. Nor was I even familiar with anthology horror. But this show was a pleasant surprise, it was scary at least from a kid's prospective but it was also fascinating and fun because with each story and episode it was always something different, you just never knew what to expect which I loved because finding that good or great episode/story that sticks with you was like finding buried treasure.
I really love the format of the show, from how it starts out where it's a campfire with an ensemble cast of kids and each of them had a story to tell and threw magic dust on the fire to start us off. This sequence in a way got the whole stories in the campfire trend going again as some of my friends late at night would go out on the weekend and listen or tell horror stories by the fire. But the ensemble of kids were solid, despite all horror hosts by their nature, each of the kids actually had a distinctive persona's which kinda make them all stick out but also shows they have different styles to their story telling.
I even really like that opening and the end theme song which is one of my favorite theme songs of all time. That opening is still one of the creepiest and scariest openings I've ever seen, it's just as creepy as the opening for the TV show "Tales from the Darkside" You just see a lot of random items all in the darkness along with some eerie tune which just adds to your chills because in each image your completely in the dark (no pun intended) from a swing that is still slightly swings is it a gust of wind or is there a ghost. Down to a key hole with some light coming out and possibly hearing footsteps, is there a sinister presence coming near.
It's true the only bad thing about the show is some effects aren't that good, but hey the show was done on a modest budget and it's a prime time kids show so they had to work with it. However what really gives this show fire is in the stories themselves and most of them are great and memorable. And most of these stories had minimum effects and also there is no gore not just because this was a kids show but because it didn't need it because it was using atmosphere, mood, and content to deliver the scares, and that's fine by me it is once again an example showing that horror doesn't have to rely on gore to be good and scary.
To me this show was sort of modern day Brothers Grimm and Folklore, most of those stories despite being in the realm of fantasy all also contained elements of horror, but also for a few morality. Four of my favorites are "The Pinball Wizard" that one was a fun one, it was pretty much similar to "The Biship of Battle" tale from the 80's film "Nightmares" just like in that tale, the protagonists had a gaming addiction and unfortunately has to play for keeps as the game comes to life. It was just awesome how the mall was used as a battle ground like in the film "Dawn of the Dead".
Another of course is "The Prom Queen" which is a modern take on an urban legend, in a way it could of been an episode of "Koljak the Night Stalker" as this story had investigative intrigue.
Third is "The Dark Dragon" which is kinda a dark version of Cinderella, this almost looked like the kind of tale Croninberg could've directed as we see some bodily horror, the make up effects are really on par.
And my favorite "Tale of the Dream Girl" which is emotional and like the film "Angel Heart" will have a twist you won't see coming.
I even like the fact that some of the story's had a reoccurring character or two from the creepy but blackly funny Dr. Fink but my favorite one is Sardo whom is kinda an colorful, eccentric and gay magician (or he just seemed that way). It was an interesting ploy for me and is something most anthology rarely do (except for the film "Trick or Treat") by interconnect characters and just showing how most of the tales are taking place in the same universe.
So for kids that want to get into horror this is a good place to start, and for the adult for the kid inside it's a great nostalgic ride. Just like an eternal flame, this show's fire still burns bright.
Rating: 4 stars