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Strike a match, pour a fall old fashioned, and settle in for a Halloween watch-along that blends 90s chills with grown-up sips. Andy, Chris, Rob, and Siobhan join Matt and cue up two Are You Afraid of the Dark standouts—The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle and The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner—and unpack why these kid-friendly scares still hit.

We start at the campfire with SNICK nostalgia, TV ratings lore, and a shout to the show’s practical-effects roots, including the SFX lead who later racked up Emmys for a very different show.

All of it pairs with our seasonal cocktail: a cider-honey old fashioned tuned toward bourbon for a proper backbone. Think apple, cinnamon, and oak with a warm finish, easy to batch and perfect for a cozy rewatch. Along the way we compare Monster-of-the-Week storytelling to today’s binge era, trace how practical effects give scares real texture, and reflect on how these tales taught us to name fear, protect siblings, and read the signs before trouble hits.

If this rekindles your SNICK heart or inspires your next movie-night pour, tap follow, and share with a friend who knew the Midnight Society by heart!

🍂 Fall Old Fashioned Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 oz bourbon (they used Buffalo Trace)
• 1.5 oz apple cider
• A drizzle of honey (for sweetness)
• A few dashes of bitters
• Simple syrup (optional, if you like a sweeter old fashioned)

Garnish

• Cinnamon stick
• Apple slice
• Cinnamon-sugar rim on the glass

Notes

• The original online recipe called for equal parts bourbon and cider, but Siobhan modified it to cut the cider in half so the bourbon flavor comes through more strongly.
• Served as a fall twist on the classic old fashioned — bourbon-forward, balanced with cider and honey for seasonal warmth.

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