Back in the 1990s, many a budding tween-aged horror fan gathered ’round Nickelodeon’s campfire on Saturday night for some lightweight, gore-free scary storytelling.
The show was called “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, and its primary cast — the group of a half dozen teenagers known as The Midnight Society — were our guides, taking audiences each week into a dark world full of mournful ghosts, evil clowns, and guest roles for tiny Canadian actors who would one day become hardcore celebrity hearthrobs. (Ryan Gosling’s episode can be found in its entirety on YouTube, by the way.)
But now, more than 20 years after the first spooky flare of the “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” campfire, the Midnight Society is long gone, its members scattered to the winds. Where are they all now, and what have they been doing in the 21st century? Let’s find out!
Ross Hull, a.k.a. Gary
Hull played the bespectacled leader of the Midnight Society, who lived in perpetual terror of someone discovering his crush on fellow scary storyteller Samantha. After a few TV movies and a three-episode arc on the “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” reboot in 2000, Hull finally found his niche as a weather anchor on Canadian television — which makes him one of the few cast members you can actually still see onscreen.
Jodie Resther, a.k.a. Kiki
After playing Kiki, the Midnight Society’s resident tough girl, Resther continued to work regularly in Canadian films and TV until 2008, during which time she also released two R&B albums. Although she seemed to be still working in showbiz as recently as 2010, her seemingly-abandoned Twitter account suggests that she’s probably moved on to other endeavors.
Jacob Tierney, a.k.a. Eric
Tierney hardly even counts as a cast member, since he was only on the show for one season. But he’s had a pretty good run since then, as an indie film actor, screenwriter, director, and — apparently — goose wrangler.
Raine Pare-Coull, a.k.a. Betty Ann
Although she excelled at delivering some of the most twisted tales on the show — including the creeptastic story wherein human beings are being turned into china dolls — Raine disappeared from the screen after “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, making just one brief appearance ten years later in an episode of an obscure Canadian TV show.
Daniel DeSanto, a.k.a. Tucker
Daniel is another actor who did, in fact, go on to have a career onscreen after appearing as Gary’s jerky little brother on “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”. Although he’s stuck mainly to small-screen roles, he’s probably most recognizable as the guy who played Gretchen Wieners’ boyfriend in “Mean Girls.”
Nathaniel Moreau, a.k.a. David
Nathaniel’s “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” character departed midway through the show’s 1990s run, possibly because Nathaniel had landed a starring role on “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.” It might have been a bad move; that role was also his last, and now, he’s nowhere to be found.
Jason Alisharan, a.k.a. Frank
After playing the Midnight Society’s resident tough guy, Alisharan’s Hollywood resume has just one other, peculiar entry: a producing credit on the 2009 Colin Firth film, “A Single Man.” He also has a never-used Twitter account, which is how we know that whatever else he’s been up to in adulthood, he’s certainly managed to develop an amazing jawline.
Codie Wilbee, a.k.a. Stig
No Midnight Society member’s fate is more mysterious than Wilbee’s, as there is literally no evidence that he ever even existed outside his role on “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”. We may never know where he is now, or whether he grew up to be less grimy.
And finally, submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, we call this story “The Tale of the Two Regularly-Working Actors,” starring Rachel Blanchard (Kristen) and Joanna Garcia (Sam).
These ladies are the Midnight Society’s success stories: both have been working steadily ever since their stint on Nickelodeon, and both can still be found in fairly high-profile roles on primetime TV. Blanchard, who starred as Cher in the short-lived “Clueless” television series, is now appearing regularly on “Fargo.” And Garcia, whose resume includes appearances on everything from “How I Met Your Mother” to “The Mindy Project,” has a recurring part as Ariel on “Once Upon a Time.”
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