Dark Snarks #07: The Tale of the Captured Souls

We open with Kiki taking photos of the Midnight Society as it ties into her story for this episode. About how it's believed that cameras can take more than just a photograph and how some believe it can even take your soul. So, in other words this'll do a better job in explaining that concept than Say Cheese and Die! did, so points to this episode already. 

We open the story with Danielle (or Danny as she calls herself) and her parents arriving at a secluded Summer house. Her parents are thrilled, not so much Danny. She goes to open the front door, only to find it locked. Which, I mean, duh. She checks the mirror above the door for a key, only to get shocked for her troubles. Are you afraid of the static electricity? 

The family are then greeted by a polite, albeit creepy, young boy named Peter Kirlan. He brings them to their rooms, which are full of more mirrors than a funhouse. Peter mentions is parents aren't around and are on a cruise. After a game of catch goes awry due to Peter's inability at all things sporting, he almost gets his picture taken, which causes him to panic. 

Oh, but he's more than happy to take their picture, as I'm sure that totally won't play into the plot later or anything.

Danny visits Peter's room, which looks more normal and less mirror-filled than the others. Danny notices an old photo from 1920 that looks like Peter, but he just says it's his grandfather. Yes, that's the ticket. He also has an experiment that transplants the life from the roses to the geraniums, which, I mean, you gotta have a hobby of some sort. Danny leaves and sees that she has a strange pimple on her face. 

When Danny leaves, Peter turns his room into the most Batcave-esque cartoony lab ever, complete with evil lab music. This includes security cameras in the mirrors, checking on each member of the family. He turns a dial and enters a large pod. While inside, the flow of time speeds up inside the house, and slowly it seems like everyone is aging slightly more. 

Frustrated by more shocks, Danny slams a bathroom mirror, only to find a camera hidden underneath. Which, I mean it's pivotal to the plot, but I don't know. Peter being an age-stealing succubus is one thing, being a voyeur that's watching you take a dump is kind of more concerning. Not enough for dad, however, more mad about the broken glass than, again, camera watching you in the bathroom.

Danny searches a section of the yard that Peter, in his constantly a creep way wants her to just avoid. Pay no attention to this forbidden brush of mystery. What she finds is a small graveyard, including one for a Peter Kirlan III, born in 1907, but still alive? Now starting to clue in that something's up, Danny tries to get rid of the mirrors, but her parents, now getting grayer and more crotchety, put the kibosh on those plans. Eventually she finds Peter's lab and sees an old man in one of the cameras with her parents. She goes to investigate...

Look, I love this episode already, but Peter man he's... Oh god he's perfection.

After Danny checks the graves to see how many people have died (including ten dogs. Man, Peter's ruthless), Peter reveals that soon Danny's parents will die and as long as she complies, she can live forever as well. She instead flashes him with the camera and runs to the lab, where Peter follows her. She realizes his deal. He steals the souls of others. Siphoning their life to remain eternal. She manages to trap him in his pod, then reverses the effects of the machine. 

Danny and her family make their leave, but not before she's called to by Peter, now his old self, saying that he's going to join his family and to treasure her youth. Her mother finds a photo, containing Peter in his real form, to which Danny says it must be some sad old man. The episode ends with Kiki taking a photo of the entire Midnight Society.

This was a really good episode. Rushed, but still really good. Next to maybe Super Specs, it's probably the most well built concept, even if it lacks the more straightforward horror of that episode. The acting is solid, notably Danny and her parents who are very spirited through the episode, even in their more older more crotchety forms. But the real standout is Peter. My god does this kid just come off as the most cartoonish supervillain of all. His creepy voice, his smug demeanor, this sense of superiority given his ability to cheat death by stealing life from others. It makes for our best straightforward villain so far in the series, and really adds to an already solid episode.

I also really like the plot itself. The idea of the theft of souls being a power source to the youth of another. And spelling it out through the transference of the flowers works to make it more understandable. Of course, you're left questioning how Peter managed to invent this, but again, the flowers project is enough explanation for what is still a kids horror show with a scant 22 minutes to really cook. And while everyone's "aging" is just adding some white to their hair or pimples on Danny's face, it's still effective in that "we're on a budget" feel to this show. It's just good to be back talking about Are You Afraid of the Dark again. And I guess this episode's plot is a metaphor or sorts for me and this project. I really should get to it while I'm still (semi) young. The Tale of the Captured Souls gets an A.