Dark Snarks #02: The Tale of Laughing in the Dark

 

Okay, so we're now into our second review for the blog, and while the first one wasn't super eventful, safe to say this one's going to be one people definitely remember. So, I'm going by episode listings on Wikipedia for which episode goes next. Initially it was going to be The Tale of the Lonely Ghost as that's the order listed on the Youtube channel where I get the screenshots, but that one seems more over the place. So, let's not clown around much longer and talk about The Tale of Laughing in the Dark.

We open this episode not with a Midnight Society opening, but straight into the episode proper. Storyteller this time is Betty Ann who tells us of an amusement park named Playland, most famously known for its funhouse called "Laughing in the Dark" It's a pretty basic funhouse attraction with your basic animatronics to scare kids. But the main attraction is Zeebo the clown. And, I mean... 

Yeah, I can definitely see this darkening some undies.

And that would pertain to Kristen as well who is ready to bail on the stories since she has a fear of clowns (Bozophobia as Eric puts it). But when Kiki mentions that this might finally be the thing to rattle Kristen's perfect image, she sits back down and lets Betty Ann resume, giving us the "submitted for the approval" stuff and the title proper. 

We return to the park as three kids are at the front of Laughing in the Dark. Our protagonist Josh his friend Weegee, and Weegee's sister Kathy. Boy, Weegee is a name that has been tainted for me thanks to the internet. Weegee and Kathy are hesitant to go inside, due to stories of how scary it actually is, but Josh thinks it's all kids stuff. Which, I mean, it kind of is.

They're then interrupted by the carnival barker, played once again by Aron Tager, and just like our last episode he's hamming it the hell up and I am loving it. He asks the kids if they're afraid of old Zeebo, who is definitely inside. Pick the right door and you'll go free. Pick the wrong door and there he'll be. And, I guess you also go free after being scared by the clown doll, I mean come on. Despite being so headstrong earlier, Josh is also going to bow out from going inside.

Some time later, Josh, Weegee and Kathy are in Weegee's hockey rink-inspired bedroom complete with net because you may not be aware that this is in Canada. Weegee brings with him some papers that mention that there was an original Laughing in the Dark. There was an original version in 1920. Four years later, a new version was set up in Playland. Weegee mentions that one of the clowns, Zeebo, stole the park's payroll. He was chased into the funhouse and died when his cigar set the building on fire. When the funhouse was set up again, they put a dummy of Zeebo in the attraction as one hell of a reminder. And, of course, it's still believed that Zeebo haunts the attraction.

After attempting to tickle Kathy and getting a garbage can lid to the face, Josh has had enough of the two being so worried about the Zeebo stories. Weegee immediately calls him our on this by saying that Josh was also afraid to go inside. Weegee dares Josh to go in alone. And to make sure he actually goes through with it, Josh says that he will return with the red nose of Zeebo. 

Josh enters the attraction and doesn't get scared too much by everything, except for the guy in the Zeebo costume that appears and we just move on from. The further into the attraction he goes, Josh smells cigar smoke. He finally makes it to the Zeebo dummy and after a few quick scares, he finally goes through and snatches one of the most intense games of "got your nose" in the history of kids tv. Josh snatches the nose, mocks the clown and makes his exit, all while smoke billows from under Zeebo's door.

Josh is on Clown Cloud Nine after his victory, gloating about he was the kid who beat Zeebo. After Weegee throws the clown nose away, Josh retrieves it, only to smell cigar smoke. But there's nobody around. He goes home and sees that there's some chocolate pudding in the fridge. Strange noises makes him drop the pudding and prepare to lay into someone with a frigging baseball bat. But nothing. After a call from Weegee, Josh gets a call from Zeebo to give the nose back. Then things get weirder.

Starting with leftover cigars. 

And a giant clown shoe footprint in the pudding. So either Zeebo's after him, or Zippy the Pinhead. Josh calls Weegee to see if it's him pulling a prank, but that's not the case. But Zeebo interrupts again and threatens to go upstairs to get him. After Josh locks his door, suddenly a balloon rises under the door, telling him again to "give it back". And that's enough incentive for Josh to make a run for it back to Playland.

Josh returns to the room, and after a scene of flashing strobe lights which even hurt my eyes, he throws the nose back in the door and even gives Zeebo a fresh box of cigars that he somehow got a hold of. It seems to be enough to appease the clown as Josh makes his escape from the ride while the carnival barker (obviously the ghost of Zeebo) laughs.

As the kids ponder if Zeebo was really the carnival barker's ghost, Kiki asks Kristen if she's scared. She says she isn't, only for Eric to scare her with a clown mask because isn't PTSD fun?

The Tale of Laughing in the Dark is a far stronger episode than our pilot. Not perfect, and you'll definitely feel it's a tad too corny, but I think it does what it needs to and works well for a more tense story. Not one with scares a minute, but enough atmosphere to leave an impression. And Zeebo leaves a lasting impression. Doesn't hurt that this came after the original It miniseries and scary clowns were a thing again. So you have this freaky looking clown doll with its freaky beady eyes and sinister green grin and yeah, that's enough to leave you at least a little freaked out. 

As for the other scares, I like that this was more reserved. Mostly because of budget, but I think what little we get of Zeebo stalking Josh is still effective. And the stuff at Josh's house does work for some tense moments. As for Josh, he serves as a solid "bad kid who learns a lesson" protagonist. You don't feel too bad for him, but you at least want to think there's enough growth. Acting is a little better this time from the kid characters, but once again it's Aron Tager stealing the show. So in the end, while maybe it won't deliver in scares like it may have when you were young, I still think this is still a solid episode overall. The Tale of Laughing in the Dark gets an A-.