Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

As a kind of anthology sort of feature, Scary Stories wasn't actually a bad movie but it didn't fulfill my expectations, specially in terms of scare factors. As a huge fan of André Øvredal (director of Trollhunter & Autopsy of Jane Doe), expected it bit more twisted & eerily creepy particularly around the different monster/entity encounters at different segments. Among the ghostly entities, The Jangly Man & The Pale Lady were the most interesting; and while they could have done more with The Pale Lady (looked like a creepy character from a Japanese manga), the intro to this character was kind of disappointing & somewhat same like Harold the Scarecrow. The Jangly Man was the most satisfactory one...wondering what James Wan would have do with it?! Speaking of Wan, at times it just came to my mind that considering the format & the stories...I think Wan or Mike Flanagan would have been a better choice for this film than Øvredal.

It got potential to be more darker, scarier & entertaining but PG-13 approach turned out to be a let down for me. Overall, found it kinda mediocre, though the effort was fairly decent.

I've never read the books but that didn't seem essential to enjoy the movie. A few scary moments but very predictable for most horror fans. However, I think its quite good for its target audience, early teens making the first steps into horror movies. I'll definitely watch it again with my kids when they are a little older.

Film directed by André Øvredal and co-written with Guillermo del Toro, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) benefits from an efficient Halloween atmosphere, an excellent photography, the nostalgic 60's dress code, impressive old cars and rather talented young actors. On certain aspects, in particular the ineluctably-fatalistic side, the film makes me think of Nightmare - Dal profondo della notte (1984) directed by Wes Craven in which a psychopath sadistically haunts teens during their sleep.

After the showing of a cult film (La notte dei morti viventi (1968)) in a drive-in theater, a group of teens arrives, we do not really know how, in a time-worn mansion on the edge of town, abandoned for ages after an unexplained murder. By chance, they find a book. A cursed book! The small town will then suffer a wave of atrocious deaths. Stella and Ramón will have to face their own worst demons in order to stop the carnage and save the inhabitants.

As a synthesis: an efficient teen movie for getting started with cinematographic thrills. 6/7 of 10

Good: The main story that is tying the 'scary stories' together is interesting and a fresh take as the 'scary stories' are short and filler needs to be made for a feature film. The direction from Øvredal is great finding the right amount of scares to be had with built suspense from the grisly production by Del Toro.

Bad: The cast is fine, nothing spectacular or atrocious, it is something you would expect from a horror film. Some lines are cheesy and laughable. The main story could have been shortened.

Overall: Although there is nothing innovating it is still a solid fresh straight-up(less jump scare, more imagery) horror of 2019 that can pass the time with entertainment and chills to be made.

3.5/5

While this movie may have had a few of your typical horror movies moments, it is still an interesting concept. The actors all for the most part play their roles well, and the special effects and cgi are all there. I could see this film gain a cult following and maybe end up having a trilogy or even more movies. The fact that this movie doesn't have a lot of star power is another reason why I enjoyed it. I like seeing young, up and coming actors shine new light into a genre that is seldom successful at actually making a good and enjoyable film. This one gets two thumbs up from me!