REAL SCARY STORIES

 

REAL SCARY STORIES / SCARY…BUT TRUE
(FOX Family, October 21, 2000-March 10, 2001)
 
Highland Entertainment

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Hollie Ralph – Narrator
Patrick Russell – Narrator

 

            Real Scary Stories was a documentary-style series that saw a different group of teenagers from around the country set out to confront an unusual occurrence in their area; from haunted mansions and firehouses to urban legends. The viewers would then follow along as the teens trapsed around spooky locations, being terrified by various sounds or near-encounters.

Exploring the U.S.S. Hornet.

            Created, produced and co-directed by Don Wells through his production company, Highland Entertainment, the series relied on the submissions of real teenagers who have had ghostly encounters or knew of a local legend. Once the production selected the story they wanted to follow, they organized an expedition to bring those teens into a direct encounter with whatever entity was involved; most commonly by having them spend the night in a haunted location or an investigation of an affected area after sunset. Of course, since the supernatural really doesn’t appear on camera on demand, these adventures were often sweetened by clever sound design, specific editing cuts, and intentional camera angles. Supplementing the main action and were interviews with other locals and relatives to add more details to the phenomenon. After the encounter, the teens would gather for a recap of what they just experienced.

Spending the night in a haunted firehouse.

            Real Scary Stories debuted on FOX Family (now Freeform) on October 21, 2000; renamed Scary…But True for international airings. Depending on length, two or three different story segments aired per half-hour episode. Hollie Ralph and Patrick Russell served as the monotone narrators; introducing the scenario and the players involved. The two would alternate turns, generally marked by briefly overlapping and reading the same line together as one faded in and the other faded out in order to create an eerie, otherworldly effect with their voices. Each episode would end with a P.O. Box address that viewers could send submissions to potentially wind up as a future segment. The series was written by Wells along with Michael Koegel, Christopher Manahl and Helen Demeranville.  Music was composed by Shuki Levy, Haim Saban (as Kussa Mahchi), John Majkut and Barry Kolsky.

Strange emanations appear in photographs of Diane.

            After 13 irregularly scheduled episodes, the series ultimately ended up being cancelled in favor of the very similar Scariest Places on Earth, which debuted on the network two days later and featured star power in the form of The Exorcist’s Linda Blair and Poltergeist’s Zelda Rubinstein. Real would remain on the network for a while as a schedule-filler, even after it was taken over by Disney and renamed ABC Family. It last aired during 2002’s 13 Nights of Halloween programming block, but would return for one more time in 2010 on the now-defunct channel Chiller TV under its Scary title. In the years since, almost every episode has found its way to YouTube through fan uploads.

 

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Rest in Peace / Haunted Home Video / Green Man Tunnel” (10/21/00) – After buying a new bed from an antique shop, Jason feels a presence in his room. / Heather discovers a ghost on her family’s Christmas tape. / An antisocial figure haunts the train tunnels in a Pennsylvania town.

 

“Cell Block Four / Seacoast Theater Poltergeist” (10/28/00) – Danny explores Eastern State Penitentiary with a team of ghost hunters. / A poltergeist haunts a local theater and causes havoc during the final performances of shows.

 

“Jersey Devil / The Grey Ghost / Ray the Banisher” (11/18/00) – The 13^th generational descendant of the Jersey Devil decides it’s time that they meet. / Four teens investigate the possible haunting of the USS Hornet. / Ray is your average teenager—except he’s able to communicate with the dead. 

 

“Bachelor’s Grove / The Vortex” (11/25/00) – Mark and his classmates investigate the hauntings at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. / Ray and his friends see if ghosts remain at the ruins of an exploded munitions factory.

 

“The Haunted Lighthouse / The Altamaha Sea Monster / Martha” (12/2/00) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“Anges, Are You There? / Room 347 / Bodie’s Curse” (11/16/00) – Erin attempts to communicate with the ghost of the woman entombed in her school’s walls. / C.J. returns to the hotel where he once befriended a ghost girl. / Two girls investigate the curse of bad luck that befalls anyone that removes something from the ghost town of Bodie.

 

“Virginia City Dare / 13 Curves” (1/20/01) – Jaena and Chris dare each other to stay in Virgina City’s two most haunted houses until midnight. / Joe sets out to make a documentary about a dangerous stretch of road, complete with a séance led by a psychic.

 

“Gurdon’s Light / Condie’s Ghost” (1/27/01) – Teens investigate the railroad tracks where a railroad foreman was murdered and his headless ghost now roams. / While visiting her friend at college, Sarah discovers that her dormitory is haunted.

 

“McPike Mansion / The Search for Bigfoot / The Haunting of Diane” (2/3/01) – Drew and his friends investigate the ruins of the most haunted mansion in town. / Richie leads an expedition into the woods to try and discover if Bigfoot is really out there. / Diane looks into why strange objects appear around her whenever she’s photographed.

 

“The Lady in Gray / The Deacon” (2/10/01) – Zach plots to make a ghost angry enough to manifest in the library she haunts. / Local kids investigate a ghost known as The Deacon that supposedly watches over the Depreciation Lands Museum.

 

“Lemp Mansion / The Haunted Firehouse / The Winchester Mansion” (2/24/01) – Teens investigate the abandoned home of a family driven to extinction by madness. / Kurt plans to spend a night in the firehouse where a heartbroken fireman killed himself. / Three teens investigate the mansion of Sarah Winchester, designed to keep her safe from the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles.

 

“The Myrtle Plantation / Manresa Castle” (3/3/01) – Erin and Shalita plan to spend the night at a haunted plantation. / Joey and Kasey spend the night in a castle haunted by the ghost of a priest that committed suicide.

 

“Mansfield Prison / The Ghost of the Inyos” (3/10/01) – Rob and his friends investigate the most haunted prison in the country. / Chareen and Felicia see if the ghost of mass murderer Antoine Benoit is still haunting the Inyo Mountains where he died.