Nickelodeon was pushing just about every boundary for kids’ television in the 90s. From adult jokes to horror that left a lasting impression on the audience, Are You Afraid of the Dark? falls under the latter category. It’s questionable how it even passed the suits at Nickelodeon for television airtime.

For comparison, Goosebumps, which was AYAOTD’s direct competition, wasn’t even as scary. Sure, it had more dark endings, but because AYAOTD used it more sparingly, it was all the more frightening for kids.

Not only was the subject matter borderline too adult for a kids’ program, but the show’s editing—the suspense, darkness, and generally negative atmosphere—still gives me the genuine creeps.

The Kids’ Show That Accidentally Traumatized an Entire Generation

Season 2, Episode 10, “The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle” might now be the scariest episode ever, but the storyline is really heavy for a kids’ program. Two boys, Mike and Ricky, are racing their bikes through town. They stop on the dam, and Ricky ends up falling over the rail. Mike tries desperately to save him from death, but he tragically passes away. This haunts Mike as he blames himself for his friend’s death.

Now he’s left to figure out how to grieve the traumatic experience. While that’s happening, everyone in his life is telling him to “get over it” and “move on” as if grieving is a linear experience and that’s simple. Then, of course, he sees his friend’s ghost everywhere, a haunting reminder of his passing. He pleads with Ricky’s ghost that he did all he could to save him, and Ricky knows that. But now Mike must rush to save his brother from the same thing happening. He reaches him just in time, saving him from his tragic ending.

While dark, the ending is really heartfelt and beautiful, distracting from the absolute trauma everyone has just endured.

The Season 5 premiere, “The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float,” which aired in 1995, is considered one of, if not the scariest, episodes of the series. The main character, Zeke, discovers an abandoned pool and wants to bond with his crush, Clorice, so he asks her for swimming lessons. Not only can he not swim, but there’s also a demonic force lurking beneath the surface.

Back in the 1950s, a schoolboy named Joe drowned from the unseen force because of a distracted lifeguard. Now Joe is back for revenge, and the former lifeguard—now a janitor at the school—attempts to stop him from claiming any more victims.

Despite how freaky it was and the fact that it still has the power to give grown adults the heebie-jeebies, it’s one of the most beloved childhood shows for a reason.