Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) directed by André Øvredal

Boy am I glad that Guillermo del Toro did not direct this (although that might have been for the better). André Øvredal's cinematic adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a film that I have actually been looking forward to for quite some time. One of my fondest memories of elementary school was being able to check out this collection of short stories from my school's library, which for a third-grader, was probably not the smartest idea. These stories absolutely haunted me as a kid and are a big influence in shaping my love for horror. This film, unfortunately, is a classic example of the book being much more effective than the movie. Tied together with a cliché story and horribly lazy writing, this film attempts to bring these terrifying tales to life but fails in providing anything but a few laughs. Thankfully del Toro was still slightly involved, as his legendary monster work might be the only aspect holding this mess of a film together.

It's Halloween in the year 1968 and the residents of Mill Valley, Pennsylvania accept the fact that there might be something spooky going on. The infamous house down the lane is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Sarah Bellows (Kathleen Pollard), who is known for reading her scary stories to unsuspecting children as they pass. When local kids Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti), Ramón (Michael Garza), Auggie (Gabriel Rush), and Chuck (Austin Zajur) uncover an old book full of her writing, they unknowingly unleash pages full of ghouls that are set on wreaking havoc. Adapted from a collection of short stories by Alvin Schwartz, this film seems to be set on telling as many of these stories as possible within the framing of a larger narrative. Picking and choosing these modern classic monster tales to incorporate within the plot might have been this film's biggest issue. What made these original stories so horrifying as a kid was their ambiguity. Each story has no context at all and this lack of explanation only made their atmospheres creepier. This film, on the other hand, tries to put all of these stories together, which only takes away from the initial impact that they are supposed to have. Not to mention that the script, written by Dan and Kevin Hageman with supervision from Guillermo himself, is incredibly lackluster and cheesy. The dialogue, humor, and attempted character development throughout this movie are all atrocious. I could not stand these main characters at all, let alone feel for their conflict. They were such typically-written, annoying children making horrible decisions, which is what frustrated me the most.

This film tries desperately hard to be either Stranger Things or The Losers Club from It, but the child characters from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark do not have an ounce of the charisma or likability that the ones from the latter two do. I believe that this was because there was much more reliance on Guillermo del Toro as a producer rather than Øvredal's direction or the script. The ending of this movie is absolutely ridiculous because of the weak script. There is an attempted message of "never give up" and "follow your dreams" that was actually laughable and the way that the screenwriters try to set up a sequel is ridiculous. Luckily, del Toro is this film's one saving grace. His experience with this subgenre of horror brought the much-needed life to this film that was definitely needed. His iconic work and use of practical effects for the designs of the monsters was great and brought so many of these horrendous characters from my childhood to life. The design of the smiling woman in the hospital was particularly terrifying, as well as when a certain character transforms into a scarecrow towards the beginning. I am surprised that moments like these existed in this film with its PG-13 rating, as they were genuinely creepy. Paired with some cheap but solid jump scares from Øvredal's direction, this movie proves itself as a weak introduction to horror, but a relatively efficient one for younger audiences overall. I also just might be biased because I wish that "The Hook" story was included, as that tale left me never wanting to be in a car by myself ever again.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark had so much potential to be far greater but is squandered with a horrible script and ineffective storytelling. Perhaps this collection of stories is better suited in a different medium, but I suppose audiences will have to wait a few years for the reboot to see what they can do differently. I would still recommend this film as a tame introduction for young viewers who are freshly into the genre of horror, but there is certainly nothing groundbreaking within the streets of Mill Valley.

My Rating: ★★