Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Season 3 Episode 3 The Tale of Watcher's Woods
Sam tells a tale about three girls who lost their whistles.
Series Index
Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990-2000)
Characters/Groups
The Midnight Society
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
_2.png)
_2.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Detailed Synopsis
During a thunderstorm, Betty Ann is waiting by the fire with Sam, who has a bag over their head. Tucker tells Sam that their story better be good, because they are going to get electrocuted and Kiki asks who the mystery guy she keeps hearing about. Betty Ann takes the bag off of Sam's head and Tucker realizes Sam is a girl. Sam says her real name is Samantha, but her friends call her Sam. Frank introduces himself and flirts with Sam and Sam tells him to call her Samantha. Gary walks up to Sam and says she is perfect and then stammers and says for the Midnight Society. Sam says she understands the rules and Betty Ann wishes her luck. Sam tells the others she has lots of stories she could have told but picked on that fit the setting. She continues that there are tons of ancient legends about the woods, legends of spirits like the Manitou or Wendigo, but whatever happened to these spirits when people came to hack down their world. Many moved on, but some say the truly evil ones clung to their homes with hearts full of revenge for all who dare disturb their home. She then starts her tale.
Sam says it was Sarah's first time at Camp Grindlestone and she was a super achiever and earned every medal a Trail Maker could earn but was so busy with activities she didn't have time to make friends. Kelly on the other hand had been to Grindlestone, but hated it. She had tons of friends at home and really didn't want to be there.
As Sarah is walking and looking behind her and Kelly is dragging her large suitcase, they bump into each other. Kelly's suitcase opens and when Sarah tries to help her, Kelly tells her that no one touches her stuff. Sarah introduces herself and tells Kelly it is her first time there and they find out they are going to be sleeping in the same tent. During the night, Sarah leaves the tent and passes a sign that says Camp Grindlestone was established in 1910. Kelly is sarcastically naming off the badges that Sarah has earned from Sarah's vest to Kelly's friends. Sarah walks up to them and asks to hang out and then asks if any of them have seen her Trail Makers vest. Kelly and her friends nod their heads no and they all hear bats flying around the ceiling. Kelly says bats hate music and then critiques the music Sylvie is playing on the piano. Sarah walks up to a wood and glass display with the photos of three girls and starts reading it. It says never enter Watcher's Woods, ever. Sarah asks what Watcher's Woods is and Kelly tells her it's a place where people get lost. Sarah asks where it is located at and is told that no one knows. Kelly then says once you are inside it is too late to escape. Sarah doesn't believe the story and asks why it is called Watcher's Woods and Kelly's friend tells her that those who made it back came back crazy babbling something about a watcher who guards the woods. Kelly tells Sarah about the three girls who disappeared in 1919 and says tomorrow will be 75 years to the day. She continues that the only thing that was found was their whistles, which is part of the display. A rat scurries under Kelly's feet, and she screams and says she hates rats and storms off. Sarah sits down on a chair and finds her vest and says it is going to be a long couple of weeks.
The next day, the camp counselor tells the group that they are going to be paired up, and their goal will be to collect as many specimens as possible to receive their nature medals and to return before dark. Kelly gets teamed up with Sarah and they start their hike. During their hike, Sarah tells Kelly that if you get lost, you are supposed to blow three short bursts on a whistle. Kelly pulls out a cigarette to smoke, and Sarah takes it away and says the fire warning is up. Kelly tells Sarah the reason she is there is because her parents want her out of the house for two weeks. She makes Sarah a deal that if Kelly shows Sarah where a pheasant nest is, then they will quit early and go swimming. Sarah agrees to the deal, and they walk to an area where the brush has formed a low tunnel. Kelly then offers to hold Sarah's backpack while Sarah goes to see the pheasant nest. After Sarah walks into the brush tunnel, Kelly walks away with her backpack. In time, Kelly realizes that she is lost. Sarah comes out of the brush tunnel and realizes Kelly left her. Kelly tries to use her compass, but the needle just spins around and hers and Sarah's backpacks disappear. The sun goes down and Sarah hears something call her name. She turns around and looks at a tree, and the face of the Watcher appears on the tree. He welcomes her to his woods and she runs away. Kelly comes to an area of the woods with a green glow and comes to a camp with a skinned horse skull on a pole. She sets off a trap and is caught into a net trap. Boss Hag, Hump Hag and Fat Hag walk up to her and welcome Kelly to Watcher's Woods and Kelly screams. They get her out of the net but then tie her against a pole and paint a yellow mark on her chest. They accuse her of being the girl who stole their whistles and are about to shoot her with an arrow. Boss Hag fires the arrow, and it passes through Kelly. She asks Kelly again where the whistles are and Kelly realizes they are the missing Trail Makers.
Sarah sees the green mist and walks towards it. The Hags continue to question Kelly about their whistles. They tell her that the Watcher promised to hold their souls until they found their whistles so it's eternity for them in his woods. Boss Hag tells Kelly that soon she will be just like them and grow old and withered in the woods. Kelly tells them she knows where their whistles are and tells them she will return with the whistles. They initially set her free, but then Boss Hag tells her they don't believe her and a wooden cage falls over Kelly. Boss Hag walks over to the cage and puts a bucket full of rats near Kelly and Kelly screams. Sarah sneaks to the cage, and Kelly asks her to get her out. The Hags catch Sarah and Kelly talking. Sarah offers to get their whistles, and Boss Hag tells her that they are keeping Kelly and if Sarah isn't back with the whistles, Kelly will be food for the rats and newts. Sarah uses the North Star to find her way back to camp. As Sarah is running through the woods the Watcher calls out to her and then appears before her. He offers to keep her soul, but Sarah pulls out Kelly's lighter and threatens to burn down his woods and he lets her pass. Sarah runs back to camp and collects the whistles, but trips and one whistle falls into the bucket of rats. The Hags notice one is gone and threaten to behead Sarah with a magic guillotine. As Sarah is about to get her head cut off, Kelly overcomes her fear and grabs the remaining whistle and throws it at the Hags. The guillotine and cage disappear, and Kelly runs to Sarah to see if she is okay. The Hags blow on their whistles three times and their spirits depart the woods. Sarah and Kelly thank each other and hug and return to camp. As they are walking an antique car driven by a driver who looks like the Watcher drives by with the young version of the Hags riding in the back, who wave at Sarah and Kelly.
Sam ends her tale and she is welcomed into the Midnight Society.