'The Nun' Screenwriter Gary Dauberman talks 'Are You Afraid of The Dark'

Also Details on the Upcoming ‘Annabelle’ Sequel

The screenwriter, recently spoke to SlashFlim about a couple of upcoming projects. Dauberman, will pen the script for the film based on the Nickelodeon show, ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark.’ It follows a group of friends, called The Midnight Society, that would meet weekly and tell scary stories. Dauberman talked about bringing the story to a new generation of horror fans.

“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. I really embraced that side of things and I think it’s been a long time.”

Fear is Healthy

Going further into why horror stories are important for young minds, he states that “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”.

Dauberman also revealed this film will be original from the series. “It is a completely original story I came up with, but it still has the Midnight Society, and it still has the campfire. It’s still a story being told.” He further stressed the importance of films like Are You Afraid of The Dark for younger fans. “I have an eight-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter. It’s interesting watching them develop that sense of is it too scary for me or is it not? That’s a lesson that we need to apply to the real world. If kids can’t learn that in the safety of their own homes trying to push the boundaries of what’s scary, what isn’t, what’s safe, what isn’t, then it’s a lot more difficult out there in the real world.” Going further, he discusses that horror has the potential for teaching youth and states that things have “become a little too sanitized.”

During the interview he also gave a few details about the next Annabelle film. Dauberman who will write and direct the sequel states that they are “bringing the franchise back home after being so far away in Romania.” He explained that the film will be set in the Warren’s house, specifically in the artifact room. The story will focus around “what happens when Annabelle comes into the artifact room and how she affects her environment.” When asked if fans will see the Warrens in the next film, he simply replied.“That is a great question and we’ll have to wait and see.”

Are You Afraid of The Dark is set to hit theaters on October 19, 2019. Read the full SlashFilm article here.

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