If you grew up in a certain era then the stories from Alvin Schwartz terrified and delighted kids. This was the book you rushed into the school library hoping to check out for the weekend. While the stories where always scary another huge part of the books success was the visuals. Like many of you these books where an early introduction into horror. Co-writer and producer Guillermo del Toro has all of that in mind as well with a film that feels very much geared towards introducing a younger audience to the genre.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark directed by Andre Overdal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe), is a PG-13 horror flick aimed at younger audiences but don’t be fooled, this film is extremely gruesome, and filled with plenty of scares for any audience.
The story is creatively tied together being able to wove in and out of Schwartz’s short stories to a chilling effect. The practical effects in this film are some of the best you will see. They truly capture the images from the book and bring them to life in a way that will leave you impressed while also remembering those terrifying nights reading these stories with friends. The trio of misfit pals, which has become a common trope lately in films or shows involving kids (just think IT & Stranger Things) but this trio of kids are all incredible. It is a big part of what keeps this film going is the chemistry they have during some of the more slower moments in this film. This trio of misfits head out on Halloween night to make some mischief, Stella (Zoe Colletti), Chuck (Austin Zajur), and Auggie (Gabriel Rush), prank the bully Tommy (Austin Abrams) and after escaping his wrath they seek shelter in a car in the drive-in, meeting drifter Ramon (Michael Garza). Looking for an adventure they enter the local haunted house when they eventually come across the book of stories.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark finds a way to take the classic stories and images of our favorite horror book and weave a strong story connecting these stories together. The creatures are brought to life with unbelievable practical effects and the horror’s of this film extend beyond just the stories but into the real world issues these kids are facing in a 1968 America, from the TV reports and images of warzones to the threat of being drafted into Vietnam. This film has a story to tell and in great fashion delivers a scary ride that will introduce a younger crowd too a genre they might not be familiar with while surprising and entertaining an older audience who grew up reading these stories.
4 out of 5
