In 1981, author Alvin Schwartz wrote the first of three short horror story collections influenced by folklore and urban legends. The first was entitled Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and the sequels were published in 1984 and 1991. The stories were controversial for their depictions of violence, disturbing subject matter, and them not being suitable for children. Nevertheless, the stories were very successful, selling over seven million copies as of 2017, though Schwartz sadly died in 1992. In 2013, CBS Films acquired the rights to the stories, with the intent to adapt them to a feature film. Guillermo del Toro was brought on board as co-writer/co-producer, and Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal (Trollhunter) was hired to direct. Instead of adapting the stories into an anthology film, del Toro took inspiration from his own film, Pan’s Labyrinth. Finally, 2019 saw the release of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
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Synopsis
On Halloween 1968, friends Stella (Zoe Colletti), August (Gabriel Rush), and Chuck (Austin Zajur) are being chased by local bullies. They hide at a drive-in, where they meet Ramón (Michael Garza), the new guy in town that Stella falls for. After the bullies get sent off, the four decide to check out a haunted house that’s been abandoned for years. The house belonged to the Bellows, an aristocratic family that kept their deformed daughter Sarah locked in the cellar. The four find the room Sarah lived in, where Stella finds a strange book full of stories Sarah would tell. Later, the book starts writing stories by itself, each one targeting a specific person in Stella’s life and killing them. They fall victim to a vengeful scarecrow, a toe-less zombie, a pimple full of spiders, and various other horrors. Stella, Ramón, and the others must figure out how to stop it.
Review
Going into these, I had heard of the title, but I have never read any of the short stories. That being said, after seeing this movie, I might actually try to track down these stories if they’re this good. First off, the main characters, especially Stella and Ramón, were incredibly likable and very well-acted, especially for most unknown actors. There is a feeling some inspiration was taken from the success of 2017’s It, given the characters and time setting. Even still, that doesn’t detract from how entertaining, creepy, emotional, and well-done this movie is, especially being released in August. The concept of a book whose self-written stories directly affect people is unique and offers plenty of creative opportunities. While there are some fairly obvious jump scares, there’s also plenty of suspenseful and tension-filled sequences to counteract those. It’s a mixed bag, but it tends to be more good than bad.
Though there’s some dodgy CGI here and there, the practical effects are incredibly impressive, particularly the monster and creature designs. André Øvredal’s direction is top notch, adding tons of mood and atmosphere that lends itself well to the material. Admittedly, there are scenes that are perhaps shot too dark, making them difficult to decipher what’s happening. Granted, it’s not as badly done as something like Aliens vs Predator: Requiem, and it improves as the film continues. The film also has a good message about the power of stories and how they can outlive us after death. This film can be described as Goosebumps for teens, but can still be enjoyed by adults, even with a PG-13. Despite the rating, it never feels like there was content removed, and they actually push how far they can go. Overall, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a great end-of-summer horror film.
Buy Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark from Amazon: https://link.amazon/B01J3VIu4.
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Where to watch Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
