The original Are You Afraid of the Dark?, which ran for seven seasons, was a major hit for the then-young Nickelodeon network. Focusing on the horror-loving band of teens known as the Midnight Society, the series explored the scary stories they would all tell each other in the dead of night. The new incarnation of the series, subtitled Curse of the Shadows, embraces that tone and the concept of the Midnight Society, but also expands the stories to play out across a mini-series story-arc.

During an exclusive interview with CBR, Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows executive producer/showrunner JT Billings and executive producer Matt Kaplan spoke about their connection with the original series, and what it's like bringing a new Midnight Society to life.

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ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? - PART 2 - Episode #101 "The Tale of the Haunted Woods" -- Pictured: Bryce Gheisar as Luke, Beatrice Kitsos as Hanna, Dominic Miguel Mariche as Seth, Malia Baker as Gabby, Arjun Athalye as Jai, and Ryan Bell as Sardo in Are You Afraid Of The Dark? on Nickelodeon.

For both Billings and Kaplan, getting to produce their own take on Are You Afraid of the Dark? was a dream come true. They revealed themselves to be fans of the original series. "Are You Afraid of the Dark? was my favorite show when I was a kid," Kaplan explained. "So being able to bring that back was something that, when Nickelodeon approached us about doing this, was super fun for our company. We love telling stories with young adults, and the idea that we could scare them and bring back that Midnight Society was something that we were super pumped about."

Billings added, "It was really important for us to capture what made the original so special. We're not trying to replace it because it's there, it's not going anywhere and we don't want it to. We love the original episodic anthology, where every new episode was a new scary tale around the campfire... as far as doing justice to the original, it was important to all of the creators to throw in as many easter eggs to the [original] show as possible. So anything in the background, if there's a comic book, it'll be the Ghastly Grinner. If there's something in Sardo's Magic Mansion, it'll be from the Magic Mansion or something else that you won't expect to pop up in there. Even though some audiences won't understand it, we really want to pay tribute to those who were there first and have a good claim to this show."

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The modern take on Are You Afraid of the Dark? tells longer stories than the original show, focusing on a core cast for a mini-series arc -- something that especially excited Billings. "We're doing a seasonal anthology... I think that the connecting factor is leaning into the Midnight Society. It's not always going to be a story coming to life, The Midnight Society won't always be telling a story that they find themselves in. But what's important is that there are going to be different chapters of this group that we follow and we get to see what makes them different from the rest. How do they stand out, and what nightmare are they going to go up against?"

Reflecting on how this second season of the Are You Afraid of the Dark? centers on an entirely different Midnight Society as opposed to the one featured in the first season of the revival, Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Carnival of Doom, Kaplan explained how the producers reveled in "the fun challenge of... how do we continuously build out a world? Kind of not dissimilar to what you see with Marvel with their [cinematic universe.] It's like, maybe there's a way to tie in all these different Midnight Societies... whether that be they know each other, they don't know each other. I think what we have landed on this season is, let's go to all new talent, a whole new story, but stick to that core group of Midnight Society, and always lean in with a fresh new version of that with all-new scary stories that continue through the season.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? gives an entirely new generation of horror fans to experience the franchise, something Kaplan and the other producers put a great deal of work into exploring. "I think that a lot of young adults today are getting savvier to what feels authentic and real," Kaplan explained. "We've had to adjust with the times of what types of stories we're going to tell. But again, a lot of young people experienced firsts.... like a first crush or a first time sneaking out. And all of those kinds of things always are going to resonate, and what it's like to be in the dark alone. I think we lean into all the fun tropes that I think exist for all young people. But I think we've evolved with some of the modern times, even as it relates to what kids find scary and I think that this season really pays that off."

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It was a sentiment Billings reiterated, saying, "I think the most important part of this show is just like it was in the [original series] is the heart along with the horror. And the heart of our show is the Midnight Society. It's the characters themselves. We asked ourselves, how do we make the scariest scenes terrifying and then immediately follow it up with something funny? And that's so much our characters and our cast. They're so wonderful. They bring life to the characters in the story. I always loved the idea of what would we get if we took the Goonies and then threw them into a horror movie -- or what would happen if the kids from Ferris Bueller skipped school, but then ended up getting cursed. It was really important to tell those classic coming of age stories, but for a modern audience in modern times."

"I just really hope that they find enjoyment in it. You know, being a fan of the original, I grew up watching it. And it's what led to my love of horror as a genre. And I think we wanted to make this scary, and Nickelodeon has been such great partners in this where they were totally down for it. We wanted to make it exciting for those older audiences and safe enough for the younger audiences. And I think this season is very much about the characters and they're driving the story. And I believe that horror puts characters in places where young people today are already identifying with, whether it's a dependency or, disempowerment, or even lost in the dark. The beasts that the heroes conquer in the story very much relate, tying in with what young people have to face today."

Are You Afraid of the Dark? Curse of the Shadows stars Bryce Gheisar, Arjun Athalye, Beatrice Kitsos, Malia Baker, Dominic Mariche and Parker Queenan. New episodes air Fridays on Nickelodeon.

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