Dhar Mann adds scares to moral lessons with star-studded Halloween series

Dhar Mann already delivers the most popular ethical lessons on YouTube. Now, he’s adding a frightful twist to his moralizing. The creator’s Dhar Mann Studios YouTube channel will host Secrets of the Shadows, a Halloween-themed series that will feature some of the biggest creators on YouTube.

Secrets of the Shadows is an anthology series that will feature occult favorites like vampires, werewolves, witches, zombies, and ghosts. Those scary figures will be vehicles for the heartwarming and inspirational messages that feature in typical Dhar Mann videos. Based on the more recent of the show’s two trailers, viewers can expect plenty of haunted houses and body horror — as well as lessons about personal responsibility, kindness, empathy, and the power of friendship.

Cast members will include Alan Chikin Chow, Chelsea Sik, Anwar, Kelsi Davies, Rebecca Zamolo, Matt Slays, Royalty Fam, Francesca Capaldi, Ben Azelart, Anazala Fam, Jordan Matter and Salish Matter. All of those stars are big on YouTube, and some of them — including Chow and Azelart — have shown up (alongside Mann himself) in our Top 50 charts.

Mann’s family-friendly, positive videos helped him become the so-called “moral philosopher of YouTube,” and he has harnessed that momentum to turn Dhar Mann Studios into a wide-reaching media brand. It already has several holiday specials and other expansive projects under its belt, and the recent hire of MTV vet Sean Atkins as President of Dhar Mann Studios portends continued success for the company.

With Secrets of the Shadows, Mann is utilizing a format that was once the talk of YouTube. The platform distributed four seasons of the spooky series Escape the Night, which also featured an ensemble cast of YouTube royalty. Escape the Night was eventually cancelled as YouTube limited its investment in premium, original content.

Mann is looking to show that he can combine the independent spirit of his studio with the sort of blockbuster production that once thrived on YouTube. Viewers will begin to see how Mann pulls it off when Secrets of the Shadows arrives on October 21. New episodes will arrive each weekday leading up to Halloween, when the show will come to a (presumably heartwarming) conclusion.