Afraid of the Dark

Throughout the history of humankind the absence of light has been a powerful trigger for both real and imagined terror. In this thrilling look at one of humanity's most pervasive fears go back to a time before the invention of artificial light and experience a world petrified in darkness. Discover how our ancestors cowered in caves to keep from being eaten alive and how in the Middle Ages brutal bandits went on the prowl and roadside ditches became terrifying death traps. Find out why many people staunchly believed in the nocturnal prowess of the devil werewolves and vampires and get a rare glimpse at what the nighttime sky would have looked like before the advent of artificial light. Afraid of the Dark takes you around the globe to places where real night still exits and examines the modern-day human response when life is suddenly thrust into darkness during blackouts. (History Channel)