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The 5 ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark’ Episodes Most Likely to Give You Nightmares, Ranked

I can confirm that it’s as scary as we all remember.

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90s babies were part of a social experiment as far as entertainment is concerned. Kids’ programming wasn’t nearly as censored as it is today, whether it was the boundary-pushing Ren & Stimpy or the nightmare-inducing frights from Are You Afraid of the Dark, I think it left a deep scar on almost every millennial and Gen Xer.

Was AYAOTD actually that scary, or was it just terrifying because, as children, our brains are about as mushy as mashed potatoes? After going back to watch some of the most highly rated scary episodes, I can confirm that it’s as scary as we all remember. Without further ado, here are five of the scariest Are You Afraid of the Dark episodes ranked from tolerable to outright peeing your pants worthy.

While some of the other episodes on this list feature genuine jump scares, this episode focuses more on loss, grief, and dread. A child is unable to save his friend from falling off a bridge, which leads to his death. That haunts him for years, until he has the opportunity to prevent it from happening again. These are complex topics that are a reality for many children, unfortunately, but it’s also something you wouldn’t expect to see a show aimed at “kids” to tackle. I believe that it’s stuck with many people into adulthood for this reason.

4. The Tale........

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