The 1990s was a really compelling time for the horror genre. There was more highbrow fare like The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) and The Sixth Sense (1991), movies that were Oscar-worthy and started many interesting and deep conversations about what the genre could do. The decade also brought corny teen screams like I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and, well, Scream (1996).
There was another piece of the horror genre in the '90s: TV shows aimed at child audiences that were pretty scary. Many people have happy memories of these series today. Why was the '90s the right time for these shows?
There are many kids horror TV shows from the '90s, from live-action favorites Goosebumps and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? to the animated series Freaky Stories and Tales From The Cryptkeeper. It's possible to argue that the '90s was the absolute perfect time for horror series aimed at kids because '90s content was so cheesy (but in a fun and charming way). These child characters figure out the mystery, solve problems, and do it all while trying not to get too freaked out, but there is a sweet innocence to these stories since, of course, they're so young.
Goosebumps and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? definitely had a huge influence on kids growing up in the '90s, and many people still think really highly of these shows today. Goosebumps shared storytelling lessons: great jump scares, smart twist endings, and good characters. Both shows had self-contained stories with a main character with enough of a backstory to hook and interest audiences (even if it was just moving to a new house/town with a frustrating sibling). Are You Afraid Of The Dark? has scary storytelling lessons, too, as the most memorable part was watching The Midnight Society sit around in the woods and, in the glow of the fire, share some terrifying stories.
These shows appealed to kids because they were about kids, sure. But '90s kids' shows also appealed to something that is part of human nature: wanting to feel afraid and feeling curious about what else could be out there in the world.
BenDavid Grabinski, the showrunner of the Are You Afraid Of The Dark? reboot, told Comics Beat that he was a massive fan of the original series. Grabinski said, "I grew up with the show and always wanted someone to invite me into the Midnight Society. I wanted to know what it was like to be a part of it, be friends outside the campfire, interact with them. Growing up to be a horror fan and having Afraid of the Dark play such a role in that helped me come up with a story that honored the original series but that could also do for new viewers what the original did for me. This new take is a love letter to the show and horror as a whole because of that."
Eerie Indiana is a TV show that seems like it only could have aired in the 1990s. The show aired on NBC for one season from 1991 to 1992 and focused on Marshall Teller (Omri Katz), who begins living in a small town and realizes that strange things happen here. The show isn't that scary and feels fairly cute and innocent, but it's compelling enough to hook child and pre-teen viewers who like dipping their toes into the horror genre.
So why haven't there been as many current horror TV shows aimed at kids? It's interesting to think that the most recent ones hae been R.L. Stine stories: The Haunting Hour began airing in 2010 and Disney+'s Just Beyond is perfect for Goosebumps fans. This suggests that Goosebumps had a huge influence on the content being made in the '90s, inspiring other shows to focus on scary stories for child audiences, since Stine's work is still being adapted today. The Netflix Fear Street trilogy was so much fun to watch because it reminded viewers of growing up in the 1990s and watching scary shows.
For Canadian kids growing up in the '90s, YTV was the best channel ever, with the most popular kids' horror shows airing here. It was a matter of "right place, right time" as these shows were being greenlit and made and it was easy to find them all on the same channel.
When it comes to the question of why the '90s was such a perfect time period for kids' horror, it's possible that Goosebumps and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? hit something in the zeitgeist that inspired other shows. There are many thirtysomethings who remember these shows really fondly and who are huge horror buffs today. And it's all because they saw a creepy haunted mask in Goosebumps, watched some wild ghost stories in Are You Afraid Of The Dark? and became invested in countless other corny but well-crafted TV shows back in the '90s.