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Some of her lines landed with an almost audible thud – “You don’t read the book! The book reads you!” from the trailer being the worst example I can remember. Unfortunately Colleti’s acting was jarringly off-key at times, especially in later scenes requiring a lot of emotion. Ramon Rodriguez is a drifter living out of his car. Chucky and Auggie, her friends, are likewise social pariahs whose attempt to retaliate at the local jock asshole on Halloween lands them in hot water. Stella (Zoe Coletti) is a shy, bespectacled girl obsessed with horror movies (me! It’s me!).

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Unfortunately the movie feels a bit like two movies pasted together – on the one hand there’s a genuinely interesting bildungsroman taking place for four different kinds of teen in 1968, a time ripe for exploration.

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The framing device of a book of horror stories is also an interesting twist on how to bring the otherwise unrelated tales from the books to life while avoiding an anthology format. Production value is lavish and in some cases, quite beautiful. Social issues are also brought up, as the story takes place during Vietnam, on election night. Since the movie takes place in the past and has an ensemble of kids, it will draw comparisons with IT and IT:CHAPTER TWO, which is a bit apples-to-oranges. Also, since the creatures aren’t exactly ghosts per se, the rules of horror movies do not apply so the world feels fresher, the scares less telegraphed. The Red Room scene in particular made effective use of creeping horror rather than jump scares, although those appear too, and very effectively. The movie’s strengths are in its effects and moments of cinematic tension, which genuinely had me crawling inside my own hoodie. That isn’t to say the movie isn’t worth seeing, but if you’re looking for Deep Meaning Subtext as I did, you’ll leaving feeling a bit let down.įor more in-depth discussion involving spoilers, dive below the cut! André Øvredal directed the film and I know he knows how to tell an emotional story because he made The Trollhunter. I mention this because when Guillermo Del Toro’s name is attached to something, I expect an emotional payoff. Bad Parenting Decision, Random Family.Īlthough the movie is a delightful and terrifying romp, it didn’t have the emotional depth I was hoping for. One family had a 4-year-old present, and while he was chattering away before the movie, I hope his lapse into silence was because he fell asleep and not into a state of paralytic horror. But I stress: just because it’s rated PG-13 doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for children. I would recommend the film for fans of horror, the original book series, and people looking for a thrill.

There are haunted houses, creepy music boxes, mental hospitals, a jerk bully, and all the classic fare. The book’s stories, written in blood, almost always kill the protagonist, and there are both old stories and new ones that appear as events unfold. The story structure is simple: taking place in Halloween 1968, some kids who trespass into a local haunted house and steal a book of ghost stories that belonged to the local crazy lady must deal with the aftermath. The Wendigo (my fave!), The Big Toe, and a few others I’ll refrain from mentioning are present.

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Based on the legendary book series illustrated by someone who very probably hated children and wanted them to lose sleep, the film creates a narrative out of the otherwise disparate and well-loved stories. What up, Harold? OverallĪs an experience, Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark is a delightfully creepy tale.

Pictured: The leading face of my nightmares from 1992-1993. There is a brief review, followed by a deeper dive WITH SPOILERS behind the cut. In Theaters Now entries give insight on films currently in theaters.