13 Are You Afraid of the Dark? Episodes We Still Think About in the Middle of the Night

Our first introduction to twisted madman Dr. Vink (with a "vuh, vuh, vuh"), this tale tells the story of two boys lost in the woods who stumble upon the evil doctor's cabin. When Dr. Vink tells them riddles, he gives them a seemingly impossible one to solve — but one that they must. After all, says the ghostly cab driver who comes to pick them up, if they don't, they'll be forced to relive the accident that caused the cabbie to die — and they'll die, too.

Like practically every Are You Afraid of the Dark? character, Amanda finds herself spending the Summer with her snooty cousin Beth because her parents went off to study some obscure, only-happens-on-TV kind of discovery. In order to get in with Beth and her squad, they dare Amanda to spend the night in a house — specifically, the bedroom of a little girl who died — to prove she can hang. Needless to say, the house is actually haunted, and Amanda runs out screaming. We'll tell you one thing: Any scene where "HELP ME" is repeatedly scratched into the wall is a surefire way to scare anyone, let alone actual children.

Once you begin to suspect your pale, dark-clothed neighbors of not being emo but being actual vampires, you can see nothing else. At least, that's what happens to siblings Emma and Dayday, who become so convinced their neighbors are human leeches that they stop at no lengths to find out the truth. Are the neighbors really hospital workers — or are they something else?

Dr. Vink is back, and this time, he gifts a failing movie theater with a film sure to keep the cinema alive. All goes well at first for ushers Pete and Katie, who are determined not to let their beloved theater crumble. That is, until the movie's vampire comes alive and begins to stalk them.

Siblings Karin and Billy are pumped to find out the thirteenth floor of their apartment building has been remodeled to be a pink-and-teal haven called "The Toy Factory," where they play memory games and have a grand ole time. That is, until Billy starts getting weaker and weaker, and the aliens — er, company owners — keep trying to tell Karin, and only Karin, something.

This episode is not just notable for starring Melissa Joan Hart, it also scared the pants right off of us. Nothing is more disturbing than a ghost child, and this frozen one — who was left to die in the cold, no jacket at all — certainly helps top the list.

By far one of the most terrifying episodes of the series, this story is about babysitter Louise and her two charges, who all get trapped inside of the world's creepiest house when their car breaks down and they need to use a phone. Classic, right? Things go from weird to downright pee-your-pants scary as Master Raymond and the whispers heard all around the house come to life. Plus, Louise winds up in a messed-up trance and rocks a snake in a basket to sleep like it's a baby. What?

Wanna talk about spilling the tea? The elderly, tea-sipping Madeline from Apartment 214 doesn't, at least not until the end when her preteen neighbor, Stacy, finds out exactly what's up with her elderly friend, and why she's been so mysterious.

When Melissa stays with her aunt and uncle, she's always psyched to see her friend Susan. Only this time, Susan's family moved away because Susan disappeared — or so they think. Suddenly, things get even creepier when Melissa goes to check out their abandoned house and finds a dollhouse (and a doll) that look awfully familiar . . .

Not to be confused with recurring creeper Zeebo the Clown (or Pennywise from It, for that matter), the Crimson Clown is the diamond-eyed demon here to haunt Sam, arguably the brattiest character-within-a-story in the series. Sam steals his brother's money to buy a video game, but good big bro gets him back by telling him the story of the clown, who gets bad little boys. Little do they know, however, just how true the tale is.

Vampire puncture marks have haunted us since we were kids, and it pre-dates Twilight — it's all thanks to this episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? which not only features the wounds, but gallons of missing blood and a vampire on the loose at the witching hour!

Emma thinks she's hit the big time when she scores a role in Madame Visage's new play, and she only gets more beautiful by the day — thanks to the special face powder the theatrical woman gave her. Only Madame Visage's face, and the girls in the eerie masks who greet her, aren't exactly as they appear.

A creepy nurse coming after you with a syringe, trying to kill you the whole episode? Yes, yes, and yes. This was the last episode of the series, and Are You Afraid of the Dark? made sure to go out with a bang. This one is still all up in our nightmares.

Is it as spooky as you remember?