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Aug 9, 2019 · Review of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark on RogerEbert.com. “I’m afraid that we woke something up.”. In André Øvredal ’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” these loaded words are spoken by one of the film’s five central teens, tormented by a self-writing storybook they had carelessly taken away from a haunted house in their ...
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a mediocre horror film from Guillermo del Toro. Based on the popular book series, a group of misfit teenagers explore a haunted house where they find a book ...
- (234)
- André Øvredal
- PG-13
- Zoe Margaret Colletti
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Aug 8, 2019 · If you were a kid growing up in the ’80s or ’90s and you read Alvin Schwartz’ 1981 spook-tale collection “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (or its two sequels, published in 1984 and ...
- A fun, surprising, and sometimes legitimately scary take on PG-13 horror.
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Images
- Verdict
By Rosie Knight
Updated: Apr 28, 2020 10:28 pm
Posted: Aug 8, 2019 5:00 am
It's been a while since a studio really committed to the concept of a horror movie for kids. Even with the comedy-heavy revival of Goosebumps and Eli Roth's spooky but silly The House With a Clock in its Walls, the trend for truly scary kids movies has long been relegated to the shelves of video stores past. That's all about to change, though, as horror heroes Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, The Shape of Water) and André Øvredal (Troll Hunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) take on the iconic book series by Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell. It's a momentous task but for the most part the late '60s period film is a thrilling and chilling success.
Adapting anthology retellings of classic folklore tales and urban legends was always going to be a hard task and many fans were wary when the first Scary Stories trailer revealed that the film would follow a singular narrative. Luckily, that central story is compelling and well crafted enough that it offers up something new and interesting whilst clearly echoing the classic Amblin family movies that shaped the filmmakers who made it. Del Toro is credited only as producer here but his love for practical effects and movie monsters shines through in almost every scene, and the work done by the core creative effects team of Mike Elizalde (Hellboy), Mike Hill (The Shape of Water), and Norman Cabrera (Hellboy) provide some of the most exciting ones to hit screens in an age.
Beginning with a scene-setting montage soundtracked by “Season of the Witch”, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark pulls no punches when it comes to the political backdrop of the times. Small town America in 1968 is a place ravaged by the Vietnam War and the divisions it's creating. Nixon posters defaced with swastikas cover the walls of the recruitment centers where groups of excited young boys sign up for the service. It's against this tumultuous landscape that we meet our main cast.
A young drifter, Ramon Rodriguez (Michael Garza), drives through main street as the heroine, Stella Nichols (Zoe Margaret Colletti), cycles past. The latter is a horror hound who has aspirations of being a writer, and we soon join her at home only to find that her bedroom wall is plastered with movie posters and mementos from classic genre fare. It's a great example of the thoughtful production design that elevates Scary Stories and makes it feel so immersive.
Stella and Ramon cross paths again when the young girl and her two friends, Auggie (Gabriel Rush) and Chuck (Austin Zajur), have to hide in his car at the drive-in from the local town bullies. It's not long before the group is off exploring a haunted house (well, it is Halloween after all) and that's where the titular spooky stories come into play. The monsters who are included in the tale have been widely circulated, but for the sake of spoilers we won't delve too deep into them. What we will say, however, is that the first four entries--which are almost entirely practical--are astonishing and very, very scary.
The first monster moment sets the precedent that this is a true horror movie that at times feels like it's pushing the boundaries of what we've come to expect from a PG-13 film. Another surprise comes from the finality and danger that the monsters come with. This isn't a story without stakes; if you come up against one of the film's fearsome foes, it's incredibly unlikely that you'll be at school the next day... or ever again.
That sense of real danger and dread mixed with Øvredal's interesting and fun direction make Scary Stories a really enjoyable watch. Both the Norwegian director and del Toro have spoken about their love for classic '80s family films and in particular the movies of Amblin. The last few years have been steeped in so-called "nostalgia porn" with properties like Ready Player One and Stranger Things that have taken nods from the movies and shows of the past without necessarily engaging or elevating the tropes that they use. Scary Stories stands out in this way as it feels like a movie made by people who grew up loving stories like The Goonies, It, E.T., Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future, but rather than just trying to replicate them this film feels like it was made by people who loved and learned from the movies that inspired them.
Another thing that makes Scary Stories special is the cast of kids at its center. There's an innate believability to their friendship and interactions which makes it far more fun to follow their ever-more outrageous adventures. With Garza and Colleti at the forefront of the group, Scary Stories also avoids the far too common makeup of an all-white all-male core cast. But one of the few things the film could have done better would've been incorporating a main black character, especially as the film is set against the backdrop of 1968, a key year in the ongoing Civil Rights movement. Despite that, the importance of Garza being a romantic lead and having to face down not only monsters but also small town racism and the horrors of Vietnam make Scary Stories feel like it's making a statement and trying to imbue the film with the same topical importance as the films of the past, in particular echoing Mike Hanlon's struggle in Stephen King's It.
Overall, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark feels like it could light the spark to bring kids horror back to the forefront. It's filled with solid scares, fun adventure, and a cast that's genuinely likable. The biggest missteps here are not narrative or due to lack of thought from the creators but seemingly from a lack of budget, with one of the biggest monster scenes hitting a little less hard with some questionable CGI. Honestly, the only reason it stands out so much is due to the brilliance of the other practical work that the film boasts. Scary Stories might struggle to enamor the adults who grew up with it and are hoping for something horrifying, but if you want a throwback family flick with some genuine scares and original vision then you'll be pleasantly surprised by this very enjoyable offering.
The biggest obstacle that Scary Stories has to face is that many of the people who were terrified by the books as children are now adults with a broad knowledge and experience of horror. This likely won't satisfy hardcore horror hounds in the way they were hoping, but as a kids movie that also dedicates itself to being truly scary it both satisfies...
- Rosie Knight
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a distinct horror flick, with well-developed leads, and a creative approach to a unique premise. Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jul 24, 2023. Brian Eggert ...
Aug 9, 2019 · A group of friends led by Stella (Zoe Colletti) investigates a haunted house on Halloween. There, they find and take an old book left behind by a long-dead child from a wealthy family. Sarah, now ...
Aug 7, 2019 · The late author Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series — three books in total, each comprised of between 25 and 29 tales that mostly run a page or two — have captivated ...
