CREEPED OUT: This Generation’s ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ with a ‘Black Mirror’ Twist

Anthology series are nothing new, but they seem to be a hot commodity in recent years. With shows like American Horror Story and Black Mirror, the concept of each episode boasting a new plot, or simply a different story for a single season, have been appealing to audiences. While these more mature series have gained critical acclaim, kids have been lacking their own version.

As a child, I had the likes of both Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? to feed my spooky cravings. They were two of my favorite shows that had some of the most frightening and creative tales. Finally, it would seem younger audiences in 2018 are getting a version of their own with Creeped Out.

While the British-Canadian series premiered on Halloween night in 2017, it’s found a new life on Netflix this October. Each episode hosts a new slew of characters, a fresh story, but all have one thing in common – The Curious. He’s a character that we always see popping up at the start and end of each episode, collecting the stories we’ve just watched.

The first episode titled “Marti” is very similar to an episode of Black Mirror, as a young girl buys a new phone that’s suppose to change her life. She soon realizes the phone has a personality of its own that begins to control her every move.

In the next episode, a teenage girl is struggling with parents who seem to embarrass her every moment they can. She winds up at the helping hands of a puppet who turns her Mom and Dad into real-life dolls. She will soon learn that she needs her parents more than she ever thought.

The series gave me such wonderful flashbacks to rushing home to watch my favorite creepy shows after school. All telling some sort of tale with a moral at the end. Whether it’s to appreciate what you have, be more grateful, or simply don’t mess with things you shouldn’t.

It’s the perfect show for families, with slightly older children, to watch together this Halloween season. There are currently 13 episodes completed, with another season being filmed this year. Although no word on if that will wind up on Netflix anytime soon.