Are You Afraid of the Dark? (TV Series) The Tale of the Night Shift (1996) User Reviews

Vampires and Hostpitals, dinner by intensive care!

[PinkPurple · 10/10 · 11 July 2008]

The Show's Original Era Shift Ends Here...Or should Have?

I don't know if this episode was exactly the final episode of the original era's run but it sure felt so, with the tieing together of the ongoing Gary/Sam angle and the pulling out all the stops for a far slightly edgier episode. I'd have expected the tank of ideas to be running extremely low indeed at this point, so it twas a nice surprise to see them seemingly ending on such a high point. Basically great premise and very engaging characters.

This show always cleverly took a page out of Stephen King's book, in the taking of everyday situations and places and putting them in a new context and this one was by far the last most interesting one they came up with.

Add to that the extra risks they took in how far the Villain (one of the most memorable make up jobs in the shows' history) could go, yes an actual semi-death toll the likes of which was rarely done as close to the line as this.

Along with another of the show's best genuinely grounded, endearing budding romances and you have quite the high note to seemingly end on. I see the actress who played the adorable workaholic, Amanda did rather well after it. The actor who played goof of goofs, Corny Colin was one of the most enthusiastic, animated, expressive and genuinely relatedly funny young male actors the show ever produced. He maybe even had a touch of Ashton Kutcher to him. His character's art of persistence was inspiring and well matched by his exaggerated comic timing, such delivery of lines like "Not anymore...he's like...really dead" must be seen to be believed. He is a true inspiration to geek empowerment.

All this stuff in the proverbial nut shell made for one of the last truly memorable episodes ever produced. This episode's shift will never be over in my heart. Hope You enjoyed the Hosp-bite-tilities!

Fright Night

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 12 November 2016]

This is another one of my favorite tales for the show and it's also in my book one of their last great gems for their final season.

I really love the premise having vampires in a hospital which I thought was a smart and cool idea. Hospitals can be kinda creepy in the night time sometimes the other horror properties that have utilized the location are the film "Halloween 2" and the video games "Silent Hill" and the underrated "Dementrium".

I really like the vampire villain he doesn't disappoint, I really like the make up design on him which I think is a unique look for a vamp. From the green skin which makes him seem reptilian along with his red eyes which adds to the creep factor, and he's got some good lines which add to his intimidation and menace.

But it's really the location that is the true creep factor, from the dim lighting and use of shadow, sterility of the enviorment that to me always evokes a sense of unfriendliness. To just the amount of space and quiet of the place. You are just creeped out knowing there can be danger on the next turn or at that other end of the hallway.

However the other factor that makes this episode great are the two protagonists whom are enjoyable and both have solid chemistry they play off of each other well as both are sort of on different ends of the fence. There is even this little hint of budding romance between the two which does develop a bit.

Colin he's a really fun character as he's the guy that on the loose end of things as he loves to have fun and make jokes. I even like how he sometimes like to nibble Candy Corns much as the forth Doctor from "Doctor Who" likes to have jelly beans once in a while. But what I like is that he is confident, knows what he want and doesn't give up easy on getting it, smart and he really does buckle down when things get serious.

Even like the female nurse played by Emmanuelle Chriqui whom is an underrated actress that I like and of course was fraking hot then and even now; this episode was her first role which is a good start in my book. I really like how she is basically responsible but a workaholic that is insecure and a bit of a control freak. She's a person that not really looking for trouble but unfortunately trouble has found her.

One of the things I like about the dynamic between the two is how both act as a rock for each other, like once scene when Colin looses a touch of confidence for a moment the female nurse calms him down. But also how both throughout the ordeal are helping one another which I like and I don't see enough of in horror films where it's more than just one person combating the monster. In a way the dynamic between the two reminds me of one from a Howard Hawks film as both attain some growth, as we see Collin exercise some responsibility he becomes more of a man and the female nurse she lets go of some of the control she's use to and listen and act on her instincts and becomes more of a woman.

The Night Shift is going to be the night of your life.

Rating: 4 stars

"Stop bugging me! Go to bed!!"

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 8/10 · 24 March 2017]

A shape shifting monstrous vampire eats his way through the patients and night staff of a hospital and leaves a trail of weird zombified victims in his wake, and it's up to one hardworking young trainee nurse and the lovable goof-off who's determined to win her heart to put the dampeners on the fanged fiend's feeding frenzy before they too become victims of his latest blood drive! This is a really fun episode, it has a very effective eerie atmosphere to it and the hospital setting really helps with that, given how the places are already unsettling enough on their own! The plot of this one sure would have made for one cracking 80s horror movie, I even think if the show had ended on this episode like it was originally intended to it would've made for a good solid note to end things on, as it's a very well played out tale. In the Midnight Society story though I didn't care at all for any of the budding young romance nonsense between Gary and brown-haired girl who's name I don't remember, that was a stupid thing for the show's writers to do, I always enjoyed this series for its tales and not the antics of the storytellers. The tone does feel slightly more mature and darker than usual with this story, like in the simple smaller details, how they sneak into the morgue to look at a dead body, the gross little puncture marks on the victims, and how the young janitor goes around the corner to join the girl for a certain kind of rendezvous..or so the poor sap thinks! And I love the vampire, what a nifty undead badass they made in him! They did an awesome makeup design, he looks really menacing, vicious and evil with his red eyes and yellow fangs, that's what vampires should be like, ancient and crazy and all nasty, he's the best vampire the show ever had! The series actually got progressively scarier with the vampire designs if you watch them all in order. His fiery demise is seriously unintentionally hilarious though due to the way he shrieks like a girl as he plummets to his doom! His design was very dark and impressive, but he has a most undignified end, urg.. Good episode of a great show that is too scary and special to ever be forgotten. I hope its flame keeps on burning forever... 🔥