Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Each season follows a new group of teenagers who form the Midnight Society and tell scary stories. Those stories begin to affect their real lives as the friends face cursed places, ghosts, monsters, and secrets from the past. Season one follows Rachel as her nightmares become real after she joins the group. Season two follows teenagers who fight the Shadowman while trying to save a friend from a curse. Season three follows Kayla and her friends at a resort where they uncover a haunted Room 13. The later seasons use new casts and separate supernatural stories, while keeping the focus on friendship, fear, courage, grief, and facing the past. The show includes boys and girls, several non-white leads, and strong female characters. The girls often act as brave leaders, while the boys often serve as friends or helpers. Season three includes a confirmed male same-sex romance between Leo and Max, but that romance remains a small part of a larger ghost story. The stories also support belonging, friendship, and accepting unusual people. These themes are visible, but the show does not often use modern identity or activist politics in its dialogue. The main focus remains horror, supernatural mystery, courage, grief, and entertainment for younger viewers.