Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a 2019 horror film directed by André Øvredal, based on the children’s book series of the same name by Alvin Schwartz.
The screenplay was adapted by Dan and Kevin Hageman, from a screen story by producer Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton, and Marcus Dunstan.
The film, an international co-production of the United States and Canada, stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, and Lorraine Toussaint.
Almost halfway through 2019, comes a refreshing horror fest from the Genius of Guillermo del Toro and André Øvredal
This one is based of a children’s book of short horror tales
So, does it Deliver? Well; let’s find out!
- The story begins smack in the middle of 1968 at the onset of Nixon’s elections, the Vietnam War and the onset of Halloween
- A trick or treating prank gone bad leads to the discovery of new friends, exploring the unknown and curiosity getting the better of our senses
- From here on, we witness what seems to be coming face to face with our fears and how it consumes us
- Armed with this premise, let’s find out what works and what doesn’t
What doesn’t Work?
- Even though all scares that take place in the form of different apparitions emanating based off our fears they seem disjointed
- The narrative set piece tends to meander at times and doesn’t convincingly trundle along to a satisfying finish
Now, What Works?
- Based on the above statements that dont work, I would now proceed to speak about why these are minor kinks in the script
- The overall scares that appear are meant to be Eerier, Stranger and Macabre as the narrative set piece progresses
- Every other abomination that appears tend to get more revolting, disgusting and is enough to evoke all your nostalgia(the fears, the demons we played with while growing up)
- Øvredal literally justifies why Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is the most Apt title for the kind of narrative ruse this tale employs
- He ensures that with every other appearance on screen our repulsion continues growing upon us
What else Works?
- The Story Telling is wonderfully devised putting you in a tight spot with every nook and alley being discovered through the POV of the children
- The Cinematography by Roman Osin is surreal, captures all darkness and despair in it’s Truly Glory
- The scenes convince you that Halloween truly arrived with a bang and is highly unlikely to end with a whimper
- The Performances by the Actors specially Colletti and Garza keep us hooked to how these kids plan to over power demons(Internal & External)
- The reason we care on how they over come these demons is because they belong to us as well in the sense of the term(Literally and Figuratively)
- Even while the narration keeps focus on the horrors of the tale, the back drop keeps us aware of Nixon, Vietnam, Lies, Propaganda, Real/Unreal etc
The Scene Stealers for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
Harold and The Jangly Man! Truly Out standing
The Verdict?
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark truly needs to be seen in the dark; however it ought to be within the dark of a Movie Theater
Let our Movie Screens show case Scary Stories that ought to be told, heard and witnessed in the Dark
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
