People love to be scared. Have you ever noticed this? It's totally true any way you slice it. Why else do you think horror movies are so popular these days? It's because people like to grip at the edge of their seats. They like being creeped out, so long as it's all pretend.

But what about children? It's obvious that films are made constantly for adults to scare and frighten them each Friday night at the local theater, but you clearly can't let your younger children watch these. They're far too gory and insane. This is where "Are You Afraid of the Dark" comes into the picture. This is how children can spook themselves out.

Don't step away from the big orange couch! This is what folks constantly heard back in the 1990s if they were watching Nick at Night. I believe the Are You Afraid of the Dark series was played on Friday nights. it was the perfect way for younger kids to view a spooky show.

While these "Are You Afraid of the Dark" episodes were somewhat spine-tinging, they were never gory or foul. Think along the lines of Goosebumps, by R.L. Stine.

It's easy to appreciate the clever writing and twists in these tales, but always minus the gore and foulness. In some ways they are more clever than adult horror films, because you actually have to spook your audience without oodles of blood and guts. This is something Hollywood has a tough time doing these days.

If you missed the entire series of "Are You Afraid of the Dark," you can always pick it up on DVD. You've got to love the way things are going with DVDs now days. It seems like all those old TV series' that everyone loved or loved to hate are being transferred to DVD.

This way you can view them when you choose and whenever you want. To find the "Are You Afraid of the Dark" series from Nickelodeon, try websites like Amazon.com that carry all sorts of DVDs and TV shows that are often difficult to find in local stores like Best Buy and Wal-Mart.