Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was one of our most anticipated films of 2019 – and André Øvredal's film, based on Alvin Schwartz's iconic book trilogy, most certainly does not disappoint. Not only is it a damn-near perfect PG-13 horror movie, but it honors the source material for the older crowd while hooking a younger generation with a clever and persistently eerie story; one that thoughtfully explores current socio-political issues by revisiting a similarly raw time in American history: 1968. There are some truly great, scary sequences in the film that blend horror and humor together beautifully (the toe sequence is a particularly masterful exercise in dread), all of which revolve around the story of Sarah Bellows – a young woman who was accused of murdering children 100 years ago, but who may have actually been a victim herself. It's Sarah who writes the film's eponymous Scary Stories, discovered by our young protagonists when they enter the Bellows Mansion for a little spooky fun.
For a closer look at this very cool haunted house, CBS Films has given us an exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette that explores this pivotal location:
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Dean Norris, Lorraine Toussaint, Austin Zajur, the immensely talented Javier Botet, and Austin Abrams (who was also very excellent in the first season of Euphoria), and is now playing in theaters nationwide.