PLOT: Two brothers get lost in the woods. They find help when they run into a man who leads them into the hands of Dr. Vink. The strange, old man (Dr. Vink) makes a deal with the brothers: If they can solve his riddle; they can phone home. If they can't solve his riddle...God help them!
REVIEW: Like the direction, like the script, the story is a perfect example of a typical (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) ghost tale. But that's not saying much...Cast: the casting is TERRIBLE, just like the acting. An example of the terrible acting in "The Tale of the Phantom Cab" would be the shots of the siblings scream. These shots are pretty unconvincing even for child actors. Fortunately, the child actors are the only problem in "TTotPC." Unfortunately, the child actors play the main characters in "TTotPC." Luckily, Aron Tager does a fine job with his "Dr. Vink" character. The character of Dr. Vink is one of the highlights of the episode, by the way.
FINAL STATEMENT(S): "TTotPC" is definitely a weak pilot to a memorable TV series but the episode, despite the acting/casting & despite the fact that it has C-A-M-P written all over it, is, in itself, an entertaining fun-fest. OK, "an entertaining fun-fest" maybe a stretch, but come on; we're talking about "AYAotD?"...we're talking about a children's show.
TRVIA: All-male cast (excluding scenes featuring "The Midnight Society").
RATING: 2 out of 5 stars.