Review: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Before the announcement that the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books were being turned into a movie, I was not aware of this series. I would’ve turned 11 when the first one was released and I was a voracious reader back then. I fit the demographic it was targeted towards. (Age 8-12, grade level 3-7.) So how had these escaped my radar? Were they too “childish” for me even back then? (I did go through a sort of snob phase since I’d always read well above my age level.)

When the second book was released in 1984, I was definitely past “kids books.” I was highly invested in three authors at that time: Stephen King, Dean Koontz and V.C. Andrews.

By the time the third one came out in 1991, I was in college and had very little time for “fun” reading. Not even during summers, which pre-college I relished for the uninterrupted book time. But in order to graduate in four years, I had to take summer school sophomore through senior years.

As the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark movie’s release drew near, I envied all the people –some my age, some younger, and some older– saying how excited they were because they had so enjoyed the books. Talk about feeling like I’d missed out on something.

But would not reading the books (which I ended up buying a few months ago but still haven’t read) affect my enjoyment of the movie?

Nope.

I loved this movie.

PG-13?

I had my doubts that I’d like it at first though, because it was rated PG-13. Normally “scary” movies that aren’t R fall short. Way short. They’re just not scary or intense enough. (Although there have been some other exceptions that I’ve also loved, like Cloverfield, The Others, and The Sixth Sense.)

However, despite it’s rating, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark managed to bring the scary. It’s not as terrifying or as graphic as they could’ve made it had it been R, but this is an example of how to do terror without gore, gratuitous sex or profanity. It was definitely a horror movie, but still kept it acceptable for a younger demographic.

If I had seen this when I was 10, 12 or even 13? I would’ve been cuckoo crazy for it. I would’ve immediately bought the books if I hadn’t read them yet. This would’ve been the movie I went to see time and time again in the theater until it came out on video. Then I would’ve rented it every weekend.

Rating

My inner child was enraptured, but my adult self was entertained just as much, so…win-win.

I loved that it was set in the 1960s. I loved how they wove the various stories into the overall plot and enmeshed them with the movie’s main characters.

The casting was perfect, as was the acting. The story line never dragged. And the visuals and photography were impeccably done.

It reminded me somewhat of Stranger Things and Summer of 84. Misfit friends who find themselves suddenly dealing with strange, supernatural circumstances –life or death ones.

And I liked they set it up for a sequel without forcing it. If they do make a More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, it’ll flow naturally from this one.

It gets a five out of five skulls from me.

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Have you read the Scary Stories books? Have you seen the movie? Share your thoughts on either or both!