I have clear memories of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books, though I don’t seem to have ever owned them. Mostly, I remember the art… which still sometimes pops into my head, unbidden, often with slightly unpleasant effect.
Of course I loved the very idea of them and was thrilled when there was finally a movie made of them.
Granted, I’ve somehow managed to put off getting to that movie until just now. So, I’m “just” 7 years late to the party.
And what a party it is.
It definitely captures a lot of the flavor from the source stories (and definitely from the artwork) while adding a whole new layer by having them be stories within a story. That’s a technique that doesn’t always work, but here it very much does. Mostly because of the way they’re integrated.
Guillermo del Toro’s fingerprints are definitely on display here, though he was just one of a few writers on the project and didn’t direct it himself. This is only the second film I’ve seen from director André Øvredal (the first being Last Voyage of the Demeter, which I also thoroughly enjoyed) but I can safely say I like his style.
The performances from the “kids” in this are solid… and some of them have definitely become much more familiar faces than they were seven years ago. That’s always a good thing to see happen.
Really, the only problem I see is that–as is the case with far too many films these days–the night/dark scenes come across as way too visually dark. For a good hunk of the movie, I kind of felt like I was looking at a blank screen, the audio and some slightly-less-dark bits moving in the blackness being the only indication that the TV was still on. I know for a fact there’s great set design, creature design, and other special effects somewhere in a lot of that darkness. It would be great if it were more readily visible.
What I do greatly appreciate is the fact that the film, narratively, is a bit dark (just like the source material). It doesn’t shy away from the horror. Not of the stories themselves. Not of the situations these characters find themselves in, presently or in their own backstories. And not of the larger world around the characters… since this is set starting on Halloween 1968, during the Vietnam War and in the days leading to Nixon’s election as President.
Even with that darkness, though, there’s hope and lightness and a willingness among our main characters to fight for what’s right, for the people they care about, for something better.
Yes, this is a film about horror and loss and lies and hate… but it’s also life-affirming in a very earnest and human way.
Rumor has it that there’s a sequel in the works. But, as is often the case, I’ll believe it when there’s an actual trailer to watch.
Anyway, if you grew up with the original books, you’ll get a kick out of seeing some of that art rendered in three dimensions. And if you know some teen or tween with a budding interest in horror… this is a solid step a bit deeper into that realm (and get them the books, too).
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – October 1, 2026
- Hysteria! – October 22, 2024
- Maxxxine – October 18, 2024
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