[Child's laughter]
Uh... heights.
I'm not good with heights.
I, uh, I get sick.
Dogs.
I was bitten when I was a kid.
Any time I see one, I cross the street.
Birds.
Birds?
I'm afraid they're gonna fly in my face or something.
Weird.
The attic.
I can't go up there alone.
No way.
Slasher movies!
That doesn't count.
Cheap.
What can I say?
I'm not afraid of anything.
Yeah. We'll see.
So what are you afraid of, tough guy?
That box?
It's no secret.
I'm afraid of the dark.
Yes! He admits it!
We've all got something that scares us
even though it shouldn't.
You know there's nothing in the attic that can get you.
You know a bird can't hurt you.
But there's still some dark place inside
that makes your hands sweat...
And your mouth go dry.
My story's about fear,
the kind that's different for everyone,
that kind that you have to face up to...
Or it'll eat you alive.
Submitted for the approval
of the Midnight Society,
I call this story...
The Tale of the Dangerous Soup.
Hello?
Hey...
I can't get out of here.
[Man] Sit down, please.
Yeah, OK
I'll bite.
Great.
Now what?
[Clank]
[Man] It knows what scares you.
Hey, c-come on!
It knows what scares you!
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!
No!
No! No!
Hello. Welcome to the Wild Boar.
Your table's ready.
It's fabulous!
He's outdone himself.
[Man] This is the best soup I've ever had.
Bon appetit.
Hi.
We have specials tonight.
Don't bother. We came for the soup.
Oh.
What a surprise.
2 soups. Table 6.
Hi.
100 bucks for a bowl of soup.
If I had that kind of cash,
I would not be spending it on a bowl of soup.
They say it's worth it.
I'm sorry, but no soup is worth it.
Sorry, Jersey.
[Yelling] You wanna watch it with that stuff?
Relax. It's OK.
I'm not picking those up.
I don't touch knives, OK? I'm sorry.
Jersey, what are you doing?
I just want another taste.
You'll get fired for that. Come on.
Could we order a second serving now?
Sorry. One per customer.
[Applause]
Bravo! Bravo!
Honored guests,
your admiration of my humble fare...
Is most appreciated.
I'm looking for the Wild...Boar?
You found it. You here about the job?
Yeah.
Great.
I'm Nonnie Walker, hostess and part-time bookkeeper.
Reed.
Reed Hanson.
So... did you ever work in a restaurant before?
I've had a lot of jobs.
So what's this place like?
It's OK. Ha.
Dr. Vink is kinda--
Dr. Fink?
Vink, with a Va-Va-Va.
He's the boss. He does everything--
the menu, the--
So what is he? Is he a doctor, or is he a cook?
To those Sage enough to know,
I am a chef.
A cook feeds the stomach.
A chef...
Nourishes the Soul.
So what, am I supposed to be impressed or something?
Interesting.
You may do.
Come.
Looks like a nutbag to me.
A chef is an artist.
The kitchen is his studio,
and these...Vegetables, fruits, spices...
These are his medium.
[Inhales]
Combined by the seasoned hand of an epicure,
the result is a feast for the senses.
Taste.
[Sniffs]
What is it?
Specialty of the house. Le Potage Dangereux.
The Dangerous Soup.
Taste.
That's pretty good!
My friend,
the flavor dances over the palette
in a symphony of sensation!
It's far from pretty good.
And he charges $100 a bowl.
Get outta here!
A small price to pay for the sublime.
Wait, let me have another taste?
One taste...
To educate the palette.
Try to sneak another,
and I guarantee...
You'll regret it.
You don't scare me.
Perfect!
You'll do nicely.
And...
I am not a nutbag.
Reed needed this job pretty bad.
He didn't have any family,
so he was pretty much on his own.
He mostly kept to himself,
and never let anyone help him do anything...
No. That's OK.
Ever.
It was an OK. Place to work,
except every once in a while,
somebody would just quit.
For no reason,
they'd suddenly take off and never look back.
Strange.
But Dr. Vink's restaurant was the most popular in town.
People came from all over
just to sample the Dangerous Soup.
I'm outta here. See you tomorrow.
Later.
Man, this is good.
What are you doing?
Did you taste my soup?
No.
He didn't.
He...
He was just cleaning the stove.
Dr. Vink?
No way!
I don't do dishes!
I wait tables!
So you've told me.
Alas, my dear, your job description has just been changed.
Nonnie.
Thank you.
Forget it.
Wait!
I mean for everything.
You've been really cool to me since I got here,
and, um... I've been...
I've been kind of a... slug.
Yeah, I noticed.
My dear, you have proven to be far too...
Loud for the tastes of my guests.
Loud?
Loud?!
I'll show you loud!
This...
What's going on?
No, no, wait, wait, please.
I finally got the guts to say this to you, so...
I have always had to do things
on my own.
And I'm not used to people being...
Very nice to me.
And, um...
I'm sorry.
Please... please, my dear!
You misunderstand!
[Chuckles]
By transferring you to the kitchen,
I was planning on making you my protege.
You're kidding.
Indeed not!
The secret ingredient of my soup
is known to only a select few.
And you-- you, my dear--
have been chosen to join the ranks of the enlightened!
If you're interested.
Really?
There's nothing in that freezer.
I'll show you. My secret lies within,
and it's yours to experience.
[Thud]
What's going on?
Sit down, please.
What is this?
You want my secret?
Sit down, please.
Ha. Man, you are the strangest.
It knows what scares you.
Vink!
[Chuckles]
It knows what scares you!
Jersey: Aah!
Aah!
Ha ha ha ha ha!
[Gasps]
What are you doing?
No. You--you--you
can't.
Open the door now.
Very well.
Open it.
Are you OK?
Yeah.
What happened?
Well--you were screaming.
I was?
Yeah.
Man, it's like I blanked or something.
I gotta get outta here.
Jersey.
What is going on?
You'd better start talkin', pal.
You intrigue me, lad.
You're not like the others.
I believe it's time
to share the secret of my soup.
Perhaps it will help to explain
what you've just witnessed.
During my travels,
I once happened upon a tribe of savage warriors
who never raised a sword in anger,
for they had a weapon far more powerful...
A statue, a talisman,
enchanted with an incredible power.
This magic statue actually had the power
to feed on fear.
What?
Oh, yes.
It could reach into your mind
and actually create...
Your deepest fear.
It was only an illusion,
but the more you believed in it,
the more real it would become.
What's this got to do with your soup?
This talisman not only summoned fear from its enemies,
it drew it from them
like a precious elixir.
The tribe would drink the fear of its enemies
to gain their strength.
A single drop
is enough to make the pulse quicken and the blood flow.
When you taste my soup, you're tasting fear,
and that's a taste you won't soon forget.
That's why everyone quits.
You've been scaring them to get the ingredient.
Wait a minute. You don't believe all this, do you?
You're quite the tough one, aren't you?
I told you before.
You don't scare me.
Then let's see what does.
Shall we?
Let's get outta here, OK?
What's the problem, lad?
No longer feeling brave?
Come on.
No.
Someone's gotta stand up to this guy.
Observe, my dear.
This should be interesting.
[Slam]
It knows...
What scares you.
Sorry, Vink,
you're not gonna get to me that easily.
That's what I'm counting on.
The stronger the subject,
the more powerful the elixir.
Hmm...
What have we here?
What lies deep inside?
I'm seeing a scared little boy,
an orphan...
I'm not buying this.
...raised by an uncle.
He was a cruel man
who treated you very harshly.
What happened to him, lad?
Yes...
You remember now, don't you?
How--how did you do that?
Have a look.
Stop it. Let him out.
I know you can't resist.
Aah! Aah!
[Nonnie whimpers]
Reed!
No! Not while it's feeding!
Aah!
You fool!
Look!
You've unleashed it!
What?
It grows stronger with each feeding.
And now it's out!
I managed to contain it.
But now that it's out, it can feed at will.
You mean that thing can terrorize anybody?
Yes! That's what it does. I must stop it!
How?
I don't know.
I just pray I'm not too late!
What should we do?
I--I--I don't know.
We gotta call somebody, warn them.
And say there's a magic demon loose
and it's gonna terr--
[moaning]
What happened?
[Thunder]
Reed...
[Moaning]
I think it's back.
Maybe it never left.
Come on.
It wants us, Reed! It wants to feed on us!
We can't let it. Clear your mind!
don't think about what scares you.
Remember what Vink said.
Aah! Aah!
It's getting stronger!
We can't let it!
No!
Aah!
Are you OK?
No, I'm not.
Ya gotta relax, Nonnie.
Don't think about what scares you, OK?
Yeah, but--
You're safe in there.
There's nothing in there that can get you.
Reed? I gotta get outta here.
There's nothing in there to be afraid of.
No, you don't understand.
I hate closed places.
It's the room that scares me.
Reed!
It's an illusion!
Reed! Reed!
Reed, you gotta get me outta here!
You've got to fight it!
I can't! I can't!
You've got to! Face your fear, Nonnie!
Face your fear!
I can't!
Face your fear! It can't get you!
[Screaming]
Face your fear...
Face your fear!
Reed, please! Do something!
Face your fear.
You're not real.
You're an illusion!
Reed, help me!
Get away from me!
You're not real!
You're a nightmare!
I don't believe in you!
Reed, help me!
Aah!
You're not gonna own me anymore!
Nonnie.
Nonnie!
You OK?
Yeah. What happened?
It's over. It's all over.
I faced my fear. I broke the spell!
I don't think Vink's gonna be making any more of his Dangerous Soup.
That's where you're wrong, my friend.
It still knows what scares you.
I plan on being in business
a long, long time!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
The end.
Great.
Good story.
That's weak.
What if there's nothing you're afraid of?
The room wouldn't work.
That's right. Nothing scares you, does it?
Maybe you should be the first to, uh...
Reach into the unknown.
W-what's in it?
What's the difference?
You're not scared of anything anyway.
Y-yeah. That's right.
Forget it.
So... what's in it?
Exactly what Tucker's afraid of.
Nothing.
Very good.
Awesome story, Frank.
Captioned by Grant Brown