Last night I had the pleasure of watching a movie with my partner and our son. He's slowly being introduced to horror movies. He's seen the tv cuts of Halloween and The Thing. He loves Goosebumps (the series and the movie) and Are You Afraid of the Dark (the original and the more recent revival). He has been really interested in checking out more scary movies. The next movie is going to be Tim Burton's Beetlejuice. But last night, we got to share Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark with him.
Now for me, the Scary Stories books were something I grew up on. I remember being in second or third grade and getting hold of it for the first time. It was absolutely fantastic. It was definitely a crucial part of my reading journey. It allowed me to get spooked by these over the top stories. They also had those amazing pieces of art. I know they tried rereleasing them with updated art, but why? I know by today's standards they are morbid and horrible. But that's the beauty of them - they allow the reader a small glimpse into the world. There's definitely a reason why these books have stuck around. Even if they ended up being banned from schools. They are a solid gateway entry to the horror genre.
I also enjoyed the Goosebumps series growing up. Now when that film came out, I took my partner to go see it cause they love Jack Black and Goosebumps. The films, well the first one is pretty solid. Yeah, it's a light jaunt that incorporates elements of Stine's work. But that's the point of that series.
I remember after seeing it wondering what a Scary Stories movie would be like. How would that even work? Could it be something that follows a similar structure to Goosebumps? Would it hold up to what I imagined Scary Stories was like from those memorable art pieces I mentioned before? Apparently I wasn't the only one.
The crew behind Scary Stories is pretty fantastic. Everyone involved had such a clear passion for this project. I mean they were able to bring those horrifying pieces of art to life. That's pretty incredible. It also helped that Guillermo del Toro had a hand in this as well. Whenever I know that he's involved in a project, I get excited because he is incredible with his eye for horror.
The story for Scary Stories does follow a little bit of the Goosebumps framework. Sarah Bellows was someone who had told the Scary Stories to children. The town strongly believed she was a witch and murdered the children. Our characters of Stella, Ramone, Auggie, and Chuck are trying to uncover if that was true. It's a simple story that is layered with five of the classic stories and bringing them to life. But it works so well. Especially when reflecting on the theme of the movie, stories can hurt and stories can heal. Rumors will tear and hurt someone till they become something else entirely. But the truth can set them free and unburden them. It's all really good themes for a movie that could be considered a family horror. At the very least, it's a solid entry for someone just getting into the horror genre. And each of the stories that were included are pretty great. My favorite being Harold. Its such a distinct part that immediately sets the tone for what the film is going to be.
Yes, the cast delivered pretty solid performances in this film. Is it award winning? No. But are they believable? Yeah, the cast ground this film in such a way that lends to creating a retro horror feel to it. It's honestly trying to be fun.
Is there gore in this? Not really. It's PG-13 but it does it very well. It has a very distinct feel and tone that the books had. It doesn't try to be gore in the face. It's more cool with illiciting creepy imagery in key moments. Other than that, it provides some solid moments of dread.
Personally, I feel like this film does a great job in capturing the tone I remember the books having. It's not trying to be something it's not. It's a bit of a rollercoaster that's fun and has that Halloween feel to it. It's one that will probably become a key part in our horror movie marathons each Halloween season.
I really hope that one day we will get a sequel. It deserves it so much. The story of where things could go next is pretty incredible.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
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