We open with Kristen positing the question about why they tell scary stories at night. Wouldn't the day be the same? To which everyone responds basically by "duh, it's just scarier at night." Betty Ann is up this week, with Eric complaining that her stories are "gross but have happy endings". Everyone shuts him up, as is the correct option.
We open the story with a kid named Dayday (D-Dayday?) watching Night of the Living Dead. Hey, that's pretty neat. And given it's public domain, it's affordable for even this show's budget. He then gets easily scared by his sister Emma, who complains about his TV watching habits and that there's a whole world out there. Dude, don't habit shame.
Their attention is diverted to the outside where their new neighbors are moving in. At night. See, the title works perfect. Dayday finds them weird being all dressed, but Emma thinks they might be artists or at least too cool for this neighborhood. They also have great hearing because they seemed to have heard the kids' commentary on their choice of attire. The next day, they talk with a delivery man who is delivering two large "big enough to hold coffins" crates. He mentions that the neighbors are the Braun family from Ukraine. Current events and all, I'm not gonna call much attention to that. It's different than "Romania" or "Transylvania" for once.
As Emma wonders if they're KGB agents from the collapsing Soviet Union (1991 show and all) or... The "G" word, they run into their mother who literally runs into the mailman Mr. Mitchell, who is sporting a bandage on his neck and acting more woozy than normal. I mean, he could have cut himself shaving and is anemic, but, given he got sick the night he met the new neighbors, well...
From here on in, Emma spies on the Brauns at every chance. They only come out at night, don't really talk to anyone, and even their son Lex is only around at nighttime. He even asks to come inside Emma's house, but Emma turns him down. Which, knowing as much vampire lore as I do, which is the barest minimum, that's actually pivotal given vampires can only enter if invited. Also everyone is also getting sick just like Mr. Mitchell. I don't care if we're "Post-pandemic" whatever that really is, but wow this episode is weirdly timely and untimely at the same time.
After a vampire-related nightmare, Emma also clues in that they must be vampires. Of course, Dayday doesn't believe her, but Emma plans to get proof by finding the coffins in their basement. She also lines her room with garlic (no holy symbols since it's a kids show, but you know they're there too). This episode is good so far, but all I can think of is "Cool, I've also seen Fright Night." As she heads to the basement, she tells Dayday not to invite the Brauns in, not factoring that their mother is unaware of all of this, so she of course invites them in.
The Brauns claim that their nightly job is to study the healthcare system by chasing ambulances, with "bloody" results. Gotta have a hobby before the internet, I guess. Emma finds a locked room in the basement and a freezer. As the Brauns leave, Dayday catches up to Emma to warn her. But she needs to check the freezer.
Either that's blood or the Brauns REALLY like their cranberry juice.
The kids escape just as the Brauns show up, though not locking the freezer because they're not THAT good at covering up their tracks. So, now the two are convinced that the Brauns are vampires and Emma realizes that nobody would believe them if they told them. Oh thank goodness R.L. Stine isn't writing this. But they have to prepare for the next day to stop them before they're the next victims. They go to check the basement, but with Mr. and Mrs. Braun there, no luck.
But what's this? Mr. and Mrs. Braun are out in the daylight. They explain to the kids that they work at the hospital and a surplus of blood is being stored at their house, hence why it was in the freezer. They mention Lex isn't feeling well and ask if they can come over the next night, to which Dayday agrees, then chides his sister for being wrong about vampires.
Down in the basement however, Mr. and Mrs. Braun prepare a bottle of blood and open the closet, revealing a coffin of their master, Lex. So yeah, they're the Renfields to Lex's Dracula. Clever twist, I approve. Betty Ann also ends on a whopper of a line "With ghosts and ghouls, there are no rules. But a vampire's bite only comes at night."
This one was good, albeit predictable, even down to its twist. Though that's just old geezer me watching this and getting it immediately. I'd imagine if this was a kid's first vampire story, it would be more effective, which it is. I like how this episode structures itself. How they make the Braun family come off as creepy and off-putting, just like a vampire, almost to the point that if the reveal was they weren't vampires, you'd probably believe that, falling for the trap of their master. Emma and Dayday are alright for protagonists, but nothing outwardly notable either. I do kind of like that our protagonists ultimately fail by being so easily tricked, and their fate being left ambiguous. That's the mark of a strong story. Leave you wanting answers, but still satisfied wondering what happened next. So overall, not too much to say on this one, it works just fine as a satisfying vampire tale. Good stuff. The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors gets an A.
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