Imagine being an outcast at a prestigious school while also trying to fill the shoes of your predecessor. On top of academic expectations, you’re also navigating a challenging stage in your life where you’re figuring out your identity. In addition to that, you are a literal monster. This is essentially the premise of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters!

This show crept to millions of TV screens via Nickelodeon on October 29, 1994. October couldn’t have been a more perfect month if I had said so myself. I am unsure if the creators Gábor Csupó and Peter Gaffney realized they would be a gateway for introducing body horror to many 90’s kids, among other topics. I should thank them for helping shape the ghoul I am today. 

Meet Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm: The Misunderstood Monsters of the 90s

The show highlights three best friends who live in the same dorm at the Monster Institute located under the city sewers. We have Ickis, with crimson skin, long ears, a big Cheshire-like grin, piercing yellow eyes, sharp claws, and long feet. He is often mistaken for a bunny rabbit—a very rebellious and anxious bunny rabbit, at that. There is Oblina, who comes from wealth and has a track record of being a model student. She resembles an upside-down black and white candy cane with big red lips and snake-like eyes. The third member of this trio is Krumm. The best way to describe him is a round ball of pale, smelly flesh with body hair who has to hold his eyeballs with his hands. He is not the brightest of the three but loyal to a fault. 

This series had a consistent theme: “Getting in Touch with the Monster in You,” a metaphor for discovering your self-identity. Believe it or not, this show helped me feel better about being different. The portrayal of trauma, worries, and challenges was beautifully executed with iconic character design and vibrant worlds. Who better understands the experience of being different than those marginalized?

How ‘Aaahh!!! Real Monsters!’ Explores Self-Identity and Difference

In one episode, Krumm lost his treasured odor on his birthday. This was no ordinary scent; it was so foul that it could wake the dead. Most importantly, it represented a significant part of his identity. Krumm went to speak to his dad, Horvak, about his dilemma, and he found out that losing his odor was a curse passed down in the family. Generational trauma, anyone? Do not worry, though. If you saw this episode, you know Ickis and Oblina stick by Krumm, and Krumm gets his groove back, well, in this case, his stench.

Speaking of dads, Ickis struggled with the fame of his father, Slickis. He constantly felt pressured to live up to his father’s legacy as a famous scarer. This created a sense of competition, making Ickis feel more like a rival than a son. He often felt neglected, as it seemed Slickis gave everyone else the attention that Ickis desperately craved. Eventually, they had an open conversation to address their issues, which helped them develop a healthier relationship. Ickis understood that he was his own monster and that the abilities he inherited from his dad were uniquely his own. 

With growing pains of self-discovery as a young scarer come rules imposed by adults. Though these laws seemed more like restrictions to Ickis, Oblina, Krumm, and other students, they were intended as safety measures for their underground world rather than the human world. You could only interact with humans when assigned tasks that involved scaring them. Yes, scaring humans was homework in the curriculum. Scares were also discussed and graded in class. No pressure. 

The Gromble: A Gender-Fluid Icon of Tough Love and Leadership

An academy cannot function without rules, homework, and a strict headmaster. Cue in The Gromble, a feared and respected teacher passionate about helping students achieve their full monstrous potential. He was known for strutting the academy halls with red pumps that complemented his four legs. You read correctly: four legs. It can be argued that The Grumble represents gender fluidity: a male monster who enjoys wearing heels, has a goatee and bloodred lips, and possesses both masculine and feminine voices. 

The Gromble displayed tough love and patience. While he was clear about the expectations and rules that students needed to follow, he permitted his students to break these rules to learn the consequences firsthand. At times, he also had to take direct action to save the day. He was more than just a headmaster, a queer uncle, if you will.

To this day, I still aspire to be like him—an icon.

As mentioned, there are rules that all scarers have to follow, and for good reason. Monsters have always been used as an illustration of what was deemed unnatural. This series presented plenty of examples of how humans felt about these creatures: fear, distrust, and even something to exploit. Examples include a Hollywood director who exploits Krumm for personal gain. Ickis feels pressured to scare a child’s friends to make the child seem cool, as Ickis somehow befriends this kid. Oblina is pursued by a monster hunter who is determined to capture her and expose the existence of monsters.

Puberty and Fireballs: Relatable Metaphors in ‘Aaahh!!! Real Monsters!’

Revisiting this series as an adult has solidified my appreciation for how real-life topics were creatively presented. I’ll never forget the episode where Ickis had to be taken to the nurse by the Gromble because he was burping fireballs and causing nearby objects to catch fire. Ickis was diagnosed as spontaneously combustible, and the other students began to treat him differently out of fear. You can’t convince me that this storyline wasn’t a metaphor for puberty.

I also enjoyed the story in which Oblina gets braces and develops a crush on a male monster named Gruge. She takes it upon herself to coach him to become a better scarer while attempting to change her identity to please him. However, Gruge ends up using her and moves on. It’s a harsh lesson that many of us understand. Each episode had a strong sense of relatability that resonated throughout.

This show sadly ended on November 16, 1997. Although it is unclear why the show ended, some studio executive action was at play. Sometimes studios don’t know what to do with a good thing. Perhaps The Gromble and the trio decided to visit Nickelodeon to prevent the word of their existence from spreading further.

The series is now streaming on Paramount Plus. Relive the ’90s nostalgia, or watch it for the first time. “Aaahh!!! Real Monsters!” will always have a space in my little scarer heart, and the life lessons will never be forgotten. I am still getting in touch with the monster in me, and this won’t change as long as I keep my fangs sharp, my eyes glowing red, and go bump in the night. 

As the community manager at FANGORIA, I am often involved in fan conversations about our special interests in the world of horror. Are you a slasher fan? Paranormal? Have a favorite villain? My niche is horror television, particularly pre-2000s anthologies. I grew up at the very tail-end of children who sat in front of the magic that is a tube tv and felt the static tingle on my face against my grandmother’s best attempts to stop me. I loved being scared, and my little ADHD-addled brain loved the intensity a director could build in a primetime cable block. 

Are You Afraid of the Dark? Was the most groundbreaking television series of the 90s, from the vantage point of a little millennial kiddo with a vast imagination and a penchant for things that go bump in the night (me). At the time it was the most widely known show of its kind marketed for adolescents and set the pace and the permission for terror to be a regular part of Friday night lineups designed for youth. I still rewatch the original series at least once a year, and the following episodes still give me chills.

The 10 best episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?

10. The Tale of the Chameleons, Season 5, Episode 4

“Bite you once, bite you twice, a little water, pay the price!” 

This episode showed some pretty impressive early acting chops from the sitcom Sister/Sisters and real-life twins Tia and Tamera Mowry, and any kid with pet-born allergies may have worried they were about to do a Freaky Friday with Fido any time a strange rash popped up. Late 20th century TV quality shapeshifting is less terrifying as an adult, but the sinister and tense feuds between the two real-life sisters still convey horror and dread today.

9. The Tale of the Fire Ghost, Season 4, Episode 10

There is probably a correlation between being scared of this episode as a child and being traumatized by Anthony Diblasi’s 2014 original film, The Last Shift. Still, there’s not enough space to expand in this listicle. Many folks are afraid of fires, but the idea of personifying fire itself as a demonic entity could go either way as a horror trope, and it’s surprisingly effective here. Haunted by the sooty, sinister reveal to this day.

8. The Tale of the Renegade Virus, Season 4, Episode 1

Intense visceral body horror in a children’s show? They went there. Another of the handful of episodes directed by Ron Oliver, this time the characters face an otherworldly evil lurking in our technology. My palm still itches whenever I even picture a VGA input.

7. The Tale of the Midnight Madness, Season 2, Episode 2

Maybe the vampire episodes were inherently scarier on the series or maybe I have a thing for vampires? One thing is for sure, this episode introduced a new generation to the world of Nosferatu and the character of Count Orlok without mentioning the film once. This episode also launches Dr. Vink’s jack-of-all-trades role in the biz of terrifying children.

6. The Tale of the Laughing in the Dark, Season 1, Episode 2

I debated with myself to determine if this episode should be number one. The Tale of the Laughing in the Dark has all the elements of horror that trigger that nostalgic, pit of the stomach childhood terror. Clowns, funhouses, shady characters–but the moment with Zeebo’s cigar that sets off the plot could have singularly caused Bozophobia worldwide. Zeebo is portrayed by Aron Tager, who most fans will better recognize as one of the few recurring characters in the show’s run, Dr. Vink. Directed by Ron Oliver, the man behind countless holiday Hallmark movies and, of course, Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II proves he can build immense tension in 25 minutes or less.

5. The Tale of the Frozen Ghost, Season 2, Episode 7

Perhaps it’s my own circle of social media, but I have some anecdotal and meme-based evidence to support that this may be the most widely remembered episode of the series. Just whisper “I’m cold” to a millennial, and it’s like you’ve joined a secret club. Another episode with a very sad twist, it features Melissa Joan Hart circa the iconic Clarissa Explains It All era in a dark and twisted winter tale. I dare you not to cry (or shiver) while watching this one. 

4. The Tale of Watcher’s Woods, Season 3, Episode 3

Although every episode of the show is framed by a campfire tale introduction, few episodes deal with actual camping, and Watcher’s Woods makes up for that. The tale follows a Hansel & Gretel style framework of following one’s footsteps to escape the evil lurking in the forest, but the hag lore runs so deep that I have longed for this episode to be developed into a film since I first watched it.

3. The Tale of The Ghastly Grinner, Season 4, Episode 9

Listen up, Cakes. This episode is hilarious, dark, and sticky. It plays into a 90s favorite trope of a kid facing great adversity in light of a hobby frowned upon by adults. In this case, comic books might destroy the world, but they could also save it. Sometimes I even forget Sylvester Unkus is a make-believe comic book artist because this episode was so impactful. Come for the grinner, stay for the microwave mayhem, cackling neighbors, and heartwarming underdog story.

2. The Tale of the Night Shift, Season 5, Episode 11

Vampire Hospital Drama is much scarier than it sounds. This episode was written and directed by series creator D.J. MacHale. It is considered one of the best episodes by die-hard fans, perhaps for its original spin on a vampire tale and its wider array of developed characters not often seen in most episodes. Margot the Candy Striper will haunt your sweetest fever dreams.

1. The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float, Season 5, Episode 1

I loved swimming as a child. Oceans, rivers, lakes, and pools were my safe space. This episode at least temporarily wrecked that comfort. There are certain episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? that had no business being as terrifying as they were, and this is one of them, perhaps the penultimate one. 

Many episodes of the show lean into silliness to temper the horror of a children’s show, but season five dives in with a deeply unsettling splash.

The pool scene in It Follows wishes it was this scary. 

Are you looking to stream old episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? Then head over to Paramount+ to relive the terror!