Are You Afraid of the Dark? Movie Writer Confirms He Has Parted Ways With the Project

Nickelodeon debuted the horror series Are You Afraid of the Dark? on Halloween in 1990, with the spooky series becoming a big hit for the network. Following in the footsteps of series like The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt, a new scary story would unfold each week under the concept of teens telling each other the terrifying tales around a campfire in the middle of the night. A feature film based on the show was previously announced, with IT and The Nun writer Gary Dauberman previously attached, though the writer recently confirmed he has parted ways from the project.

“That actually hasn’t shot yet,” Dauberman confirmed with /Film when asked about the project. “That’s one of those things I’m no longer a part of. I just had a different vision to make it and thought it best to part ways.”

He added, “I don’t think that’s out there. It’s unfortunate but as you said, that’s sometimes how it goes.”

The film was previously announced as having an October 4th release date, yet it was quietly pulled from that date earlier this year. With Dauberman having confirmed he was no longer involved, it’s unclear what the status of the movie is.

The writer previously detailed what his approach to the film would be.

“That show is so important to me. I didn’t want to age it down too much because for it’s time, it had some really disturbing episodes and some really dark episodes. Not every story the Midnight Society told ended with happily ever after or a person learning their lesson and it will never happen again,” Dauberman admitted to /Film. “I really embraced that side of things and I think it’s been a long time. I think fear is healthy for kids. I don’t think we have to always sand down the edges of things and that’s something I really wanted to do with Are You Afraid of the Dark? I think it is scary and I think kids will be scared watching it at times, and also they’ll laugh at times. I think it’s got a great message. I think it’s got a great heart to it but it is still scary. I think that’s great. I think it’s going to open it up to a wider audience.”

Fans of the series might be disappointed that the film is now in limbo, though they might take solace in the fact that Nickelodeon will be delivering a miniseries revival of the show in October as scheduled.

Stay tuned for details on the Are You Afraid of the Dark? movie.

Are you disappointed by this news? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!