Connor Stevens is one of the main characters of the second season of the revival series of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, titled Curse of the Shadows. He was portrayed by Parker Queenan.
Biography[]
Connor is the leader of The Midnight Society who attends Shadow Bay High School in Shadow Bay, Washington. He is known to have issues with authority, including his father whom he has a strained bond with, as well as the cops due to the fact that he has several times committed the crime of breaking and entering, robbery, and running away (“Remember when he took the train down south and didn’t tell anyone?”).
Connor has a rebellious streak, and has a tendency to skip school. Outside of telling scary stories, Connor is passionate about baseball, skateboarding, werewolves, and playing guitar. His favorite song to play on guitar is “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer, though he never plays this in front of Luke.
Mysteries are something he is always out trying to discover, as “He’s searching for something” according to JT Billings (creator). Connor’s storytelling fashion is often accompanied with eccentric costumes. Luke McCoy is his best friend since childhood, and fellow member of The Midnight Society and wrestling team. He hates zombies, and often gets into debates over this with Luke. He also hates wrestling, and was only forced to join by his father in an attempt to teach him discipline.
Although we never see his mother, her identity and absence is important to Connor’s backstory and currently kept secret from the audience. His name means lover of hounds which may trace back to “The Tale of the Hungry Hounds” in the 90s version of the series—and possibly his mother because of this. Connor has a stubborn attitude, and since he runs the leadership position of The Midnight Society (of Shadow Bay), he is used to being protective, making the ultimate decisions, and having a sacrificial nature—especially when it comes to Luke*. (*Though this behavior is all a shared trait with Luke who steps up into such position with Connor’s absence).
Connor was unfortunately cursed by the Shadowman when he entered the haunted woods after sun down, and despite stealing the Book of Shadows and trying to break the curse, he was kidnapped and stowed away in the dark house/shadow realm—a parallel universe to the lighthouse and normal realm. Luke was the first to notice his absence and realize something was wrong, and when searched for, he was able to hear Connor’s voice as Connor yelled for him.
When the rest of The Midnight Society attempted to use the Book of Shadows to save him, the Shadowman instead was able to create a false copy of his body and possess it. Shadow Connor was able to quickly recognize Luke amongst all the others, and this is potentially because the real Connor is in love with Luke. Connor’s feelings for Luke are also why he won’t sing his favorite song for him, and lies about what it actually is. Luke was also the first to believe something was wrong with Shadow Connor, but the last to want to believe it as such a truth meant that Connor was still in danger. After another attempt they were able to bring back Connor, and using the Book of Shadows to time travel back to 1996 they defeated the Shadowman and broke the curse for all. At the end of Curse of the Shadows, Connor witnesses Luke and Hanna kiss, and puts on a supportive front.
| Are You Afraid of the Dark? | |
|---|---|
| Media | Episodes (Seasons: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7) • Books • The Tale of Orpheo's Curse • Video releases • The Carnival of Doom • Curse of the Shadows • Ghost Island |
| The Midnight Society | Gary • Betty Ann • Kiki • Frank • Tucker • Samantha • Kristen • David • Stig • Eric • Andy • Quinn • Megan • Vange • Gavin • Akiko • Louise • Graham • Rachel • Luke • Jai • Hanna • Gabby • Seth • Connor |