Are you Afraid of the Dark?: “The Tale of the Super Specs” (S1E06)
Are you Afraid of the Dark?: “The Tale of the Super Specs” (S1E06)
Plot Summary
“The Tale of the Super Specs” leans into science fiction and psychological horror with a tale that blends alternate dimensions and cursed objects. The story centres on Weeds, a mischievous teen experimenting with magic, and his girlfriend Marybeth, who becomes increasingly unsettled after receiving a pair of novelty X-ray specs from a magic shop.
When Marybeth puts on the glasses, she begins to see shadowy, faceless figures lurking around her. At first, she thinks it’s a trick of the light, but the apparitions appear more frequently and become harder to ignore. The truth, it turns out, is that Weeds’ spell—performed for fun—has inadvertently torn a rift between dimensions. The figures are people from another world, and they are not happy about being seen.
This episode is one of the most conceptually ambitious of the early series. The eerie design of the shadowy figures and the tension as Marybeth questions her sanity provide genuine unease. The twist ending is particularly dark: instead of fixing the problem, the protagonists end up trapped in the wrong dimension, while their doubles take their place in the real world.
Despite some clunky dialogue and rushed exposition in the third act, the story holds up thanks to its atmosphere and inventive premise. The moral lesson — that meddling with things you don’t understand can have serious consequences — is well-delivered without being heavy-handed.
Highlights:
- Chilling use of visual horror
- Clever sci-fi twist with alternate dimensions
- Memorable and unsettling ending
What Doesn’t Work:
- Rushed conclusion and exposition
- Dialogue feels dated in places
- Some concepts may go over younger viewers’ heads
Final Thoughts:
“The Tale of the Super Specs” is a standout in the series for its creativity and eerie tone. Though not without flaws, it remains one of the more intellectually intriguing and unsettling stories from the Midnight Society’s campfire.
