And it is. The babysitter reading books to her kids - actual books in this series that can be purchased in physical form - is the Framing Device for horror stories involving preteen kids.
The stories, of which there are only ten, vary considerably, and sometimes combine ideas. We got our ghost story crossed with a Creepy Doll, our curse stories, a retelling of the Bloody Mary game crossed with Be Careful What You Wish For, a "stalked by an evil creepy crawly" story, and more. They're very hit-or-miss, as story anthologies tend to be.
Although the original books were written in the 90s, they were updated for the 2010s along with the episodes, which happen to be written by the books' original authors. The updates take into account changes in how kids live in modern times. For example, they're seen using the internet to research the Bloody Mary story, and a girl is contacted on her cell phone by a ghost in the form of a low-res video. I'm actually impressed they got the technology and its uses right.
The character interactions are cheesy and fun. Lots of kids teasing each other, making jokes at each others' expense, things like that. One ghost story episode even feels like The Sandlot at first, with its humorous banter. Humor is actually rather common, and one episode even has a rather cartoonish ending, where a Giant Spider is inflated like a balloon.
The show isn't really scary for just about anyone over age nine. There are some episodes that have considerably more potential to be scary, such as one that involves kids having to escape a witch as all the adults around them, one by one, are changed into doll-like figures. However, just in case things do get too scary for younger viewers, the show wants to remind you that it's all just a story. See, the show jumps back to the real world multiple times to show the babysitter and kids reading the book and remarking on it. This is also always done right before the Cruel Twist Ending. It's all just a story, but it's a fun one.
A clean, corny but fun horror show for a younger audience
A babysitter enters a house late at night.
"BOO!" shout two kids who appear to be around seven. "You scared me!" the babysitter laughs.
You can probably already guess that his show is aimed at a younger audience than the Nightmare Fuel-filled Are You Afraid of the Dark? and the cheesier Goosebumps.
And it is. The babysitter reading books to her kids - actual books in this series that can be purchased in physical form - is the Framing Device for horror stories involving preteen kids.
The stories, of which there are only ten, vary considerably, and sometimes combine ideas. We got our ghost story crossed with a Creepy Doll, our curse stories, a retelling of the Bloody Mary game crossed with Be Careful What You Wish For, a "stalked by an evil creepy crawly" story, and more. They're very hit-or-miss, as story anthologies tend to be.
Although the original books were written in the 90s, they were updated for the 2010s along with the episodes, which happen to be written by the books' original authors. The updates take into account changes in how kids live in modern times. For example, they're seen using the internet to research the Bloody Mary story, and a girl is contacted on her cell phone by a ghost in the form of a low-res video. I'm actually impressed they got the technology and its uses right.
The character interactions are cheesy and fun. Lots of kids teasing each other, making jokes at each others' expense, things like that. One ghost story episode even feels like The Sandlot at first, with its humorous banter. Humor is actually rather common, and one episode even has a rather cartoonish ending, where a Giant Spider is inflated like a balloon.
The show isn't really scary for just about anyone over age nine. There are some episodes that have considerably more potential to be scary, such as one that involves kids having to escape a witch as all the adults around them, one by one, are changed into doll-like figures. However, just in case things do get too scary for younger viewers, the show wants to remind you that it's all just a story. See, the show jumps back to the real world multiple times to show the babysitter and kids reading the book and remarking on it. This is also always done right before the Cruel Twist Ending. It's all just a story, but it's a fun one.