Welcome to 2026's 31 Days of Heistoween, a daily dose of spooky icons, spine-tingling oddities, and — most harrowing of all — memes. Check back every day from now through October 31 for each daily entry!
Every year, some friends and I get together to watch some Halloween-inspired video clips. Typically, these are episodes of shows like Goosebumps, Freaky Tales, or Are You Afraid of the Dark?
None have quite caught our imagination quite like Are You Afraid of the Dark's "The Tale of the Twisted Claw." The episode was the fourth to be aired during the show's first season, all the way back on October 25, 1991.
The premise is one we've all seen before: Rather than a Monkey's Paw situation, the Twisted Claw grants wishes, only for those to come with a bit of an unexpected twist. Our main characters, Dougie and Kevin, get the claw after trick-or-treating at Miss Clove's house on Halloween night. "Be careful what you wish for! You just might get it!" cries out the alleged witch who gives the boys the totem.
While in other Monkey Paw situations (most notably, The Simpsons and Obsession), the unintended outcome of the initial wish tends to be closely aligned to the initial ask. When Lisa wishes for world peace, Kang and Kodos realize that Earth is ripe for the taking.
The first wish and its consequence are fairly straightforward. The boys want to go home and stop trick-or-treating, so they are bullied by some other teens and have their candy stolen. They manage to get away, but have to go home to make sure they aren't found by the teens. Wish granted.
The second wish? Kevin wants to beat rival Bostick in the 600-yard dash. It works out, but only because a dog runs out from behind a tree and trips Bostick before he crosses the finish line. The kid ends up breaking his leg.
When Dougie and Kevin look for the dog, it's gone. It's here we get my favorite line from the entire episode. "He didn't just trip, it was... the DOG! Where's the dog!?"
Dougie starts to get worried that they'll get in trouble for causing Bostick to break his leg. Kevin doesn't want to admit to anything and in a moment of frustration, wishes that Dougie's parents would get lost. Dougie then gets a call that his parents have been in a car crash.
Things sure have escalated quickly. They try to wish for his parents to be okay, but Dougie is worried their wish will backfire. Dougie knows there's only one person who would know what to do and wishes for his grandfather to be there to help him. Turns out, Dougie's grandfather is dead. Cue a driverless car showing up in front of the house. "I don't want to meet no ghost," Kevin shouts.
They finally try to make amends for the whole situation, making a wish that they never got involved with Miss Clove and The Twisted Claw in the first place. Everything seems to return to normal.
If you’ve never seen “The Tale of the Twisted Claw,” it’s worth seeking out and watching the whole thing for yourself. In fact, it's my only wish that you do check it out! Are You Afraid of the Dark is available to stream on YouTube or Paramount+.
Come knock on our door tomorrow for even more 31 Days of Heistoween treats.
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