In 1981, Alvin Schwartz's eery and unnerving children's novel, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, was published. Hauntingly illustrated with unforgettable images drawn by Stephen Gammell, Scary Stories quickly became controversial. With the unsettling imagery, memorable stories, and all the controversy to go along with it, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark - along with all the other installments that succeeded it - is now regarded as an iconic, genre-defining series.
We are living in an era of remakes and sequels, and while this can sometimes be a bad thing, Scary Stories To Tell in The Dark is one of the most anticipated films of 2019. Let's take a look at some of the things we learned from the trailer.
MANY OF THE ICONIC MONSTERS MAKE APPEARANCES
When the trailer dropped for Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, fans were delighted to see the several of the monsters that had terrified them when they read the books, would be brought to life on the big screen. Since said monsters were illustrated in the most haunting, unique style in the books, the film crew definitely had their work cut out for them.
From what we are shown in the trailer, it looks like the special effects team did an outstanding job in bringing these creatures to life, while paying homage to the original illustrations.
IT FOLLOWS ONE COHERENT STORY
While the Scary Stories books were written in an anthology style, with every chapter telling a different spine-tingling short story, it looks like the creators of the movie have made the decision to tell this story in a different style.
The trailer introduces us to several high school-age kids, and their story appears to be the one that the film will follow. This decision was presumably made to follow the success that films like It and series like Stranger Things have had with using a group of misfit pre-teens as their leads.
80's HORROR MOVIE VIBES
The film adaptation of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is definitely taking the original stories to the next level. Following the trend of many modern day horror movies, it seems that this film will heavily rely on the nostalgia factor, as its trailer alone is drenched in vintage horror movie vibes.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and paying homage to 80s horror movies is something that can be done very well (as Jordan Peele so artistically proved with Us). With a promising cast and crew - and the fact that horror master Guillermo Del Toro is involved - it's a good possibility that Scary Stories' vintage vibes will be respectful.
THE BELLOWS FAMILY
It's been revealed that the Bellows family will be a major part of this movie. As seen in the trailer, a large part of this movie's premise revolves around a group of teenagers who discover some mysterious hand-written books, upon exploring the infamous Bellows mansion.
The trailer seems to allude to the fact that a woman named Sarah Bellows wrote those books. Sarah, the rest of her family, and their house are surrounded by quite a lot of folklore in the town of Mill Valley. This is a promising detail, as every good horror movie includes a small-town and their spooky legends.
IT MIGHT NOT BE SET IN MODERN TIMES
Since the books were written in the 1980s/90s, the stories are dated from that time period. This is another factor that makes people so nostalgic about them. All the stories in the original book series were written back in the 80s/90s era, therefore it would seem a bit wrong for the movie and all of these stories to be thrust into modern times.
When R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series was adapted into films, the decision to set them in modern times probably contributed a lot to the fact that the movies were very poorly received. From Scary Stories' trailer, we can make an educated guess that this movie is at least partly set back in time, but perhaps jumps around from decades ago to modern times.
THE BOOKS
The trailer shows instances of the main kids finding some of Sarah Bellows' mysterious books, and soon discovering that there is something seriously wrong with them. Many of the pages contain stories scrawled in what looks to be blood, and to make matters scarier, the books are shown to be writing themselves.
The movie seems to feature the spooky stories about Sarah Bellows very heavily, and her books - which are based on the short stories in the original books - seem to be cursed and/or haunted.
NODS TO ALL OF THE SHORT STORIES
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is just one film, so it most likely won't be able to include every story and monster from the original series, but from the trailer, it looks like there will at least be nods to most - if not all - of the stories.
It's been revealed that stories such as "The Big Toe," "Harold," "The Dream," and "The Red Spot" will most definitely be included, which is very promising.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO AT HIS FINEST
Since the 90s, Guillermo Del Toro has been creating milestones for the horror genre. In 2001, he wrote and directed his hit film, The Devil's Backbone. Later, he would go on to create classics such as Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and The Shape of Water.
There's no denying that Del Toro definitely has an affinity for the terrifying, and a true talent in creating memorable horror movies. The monsters he dreams up are unique and utterly horrifying, and the stories he writes are completely iconic. The fact that he is involved in Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is something that almost guarantees this film will be a hit.
HAROLD THE SCARECROW
Harold The Scarecrow is shown frequently in the trailer, showcasing the fact that the film clearly has done an excellent job in adapting him for the big screen. The original story that featured Harold in the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark series, was simply titled "Harold" and is remembered as one of the most terrifying tales. The story of Harold The Scarecrow is one that is set in a cornfield, and as shown in the trailer, this cornfield and Harold himself will be playing a big part in this movie.
IT STAYS TRUE TO THE BOOKS
One thing that modern-day remakes and sequels almost always tend to do is use the magic of special effects and CGI to make films "bigger and better." But in fact, it's for that very reason that so many viewers often detest this trend of remaking everything and anything that was remotely successful once. Using powerful special effects definitely does not mean that a film is good - and often, it ends up taking away from the original story, rather than building on it.
It seems - at least from what has been shown in the trailer and other promotional materials - that the crew has put a lot of effort into bringing Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell's monsters to life. But they have also put a lot of effort into bringing the stories to life, and keeping that campy, spooky vibe that Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is so beloved for.