2/26/2023 0 Comments Scary stories to tell in the dark![]() ![]() Thankfully however, even Øvredal seems to know the parts here are greater than the sum and doesn’t shy away from showing off the visual tricks he’s got up his sleeve to make each spine-tingling sequence pop in their own way. In that, the seams around the anthology show-we don’t quite connect with the kids’ individual fears in a deep sense when their nightmares find them. Predictably, the set pieces of Øvredal’s film are a lot more fun to enjoy individually than to consider them within the context of the overarching tale. Gruesome tales start to slowly appear in the book, designed in accordance with the teens’ worst fears. When the quintet visits an out-of-bounds, boarded-up mansion with a tragic past one night and takes away a storybook belonging to the spirit of the once-murderous Sarah Bellows (Kathleen Pollard)-she is said to be locked away by her rich and cruel family-they disturb the vengeful ghost and end up disappearing one by one. Then we have the nerdy Auggie ( Gabriel Rush) in a Pierrot costume for Halloween-his outfit choice is a successful running gag-the goofy Chuck ( Austin Zajur) as well as his beautiful, popular sister Ruth ( Natalie Ganzhorn). There is also the enigmatic Ramón ( Michael Garza), a Mexican-American teen who attempts to pass through town, but lingers around after saving Stella’s crew from bullies one night at the drive-in. Among the things “Scary Stories” might wake up could very well be a newfound appetite for horror in younger movie-watchers.Īt the heart of the tale that celebrates the healing power of storytelling is the sweetly introverted Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti of “ Wildlife”), a motherless aspiring writer with dad issues and a love of all-things-scary-her room is decorated wall-to-wall with tales and creatures she worships. ![]() Co-scribes Dan and Kevin Hagemen (along with story crafters del Toro, Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton) have created a unifying (though choppy) narrative arc around a number of the popular yarns of the books-“Harold,” “The Big Toe” and “The Red Spot” among them-while keeping with the novels’ PG-13 spirit. Though it’s still helpful to know that these are anthology-style books. The good news is, Øvredal’s stylishly old-school flick doesn’t require any homework-your affection for genre-work like “ The Changeling,” “Ringu” and “The Night of the Living Dead” as well as a mild nostalgic appreciation for “Goonies”-type fare will suffice. ![]() If you, like me, did not grow up with tents in backyards, overnight trips to spooky lakeside grounds or marshmallows by campfires, you might be foreign to the world of the “Scary Stories” trilogy of books with creepy tales collected by Alvin Schwartz, and illustrations to match done by Stephen Gammell. And thanks to Øvredal’s visual flair and visceral dedication to the monsters of Guillermo del Toro (among the team of writers and producers here), clearly a major influence on the “ Trollhunter” director’s bittersweet approach to the field, this satisfying though far from innovative dish boasts comforting flavors throughout. That’s certainly enough familiar ingredients to make a foolproof pot of genre stew. Halloween? Haunted house? Possessed object? Check check check. Small-town Americana that delightfully rhymes with “Hill Valley”? Check. Period nostalgia (that's not the overdone '80s of “Stranger Things” and “IT”)? Check. Now let’s count all the formulaic components (as well as our consequent blessings) in this vista, shall we? Group of misfit kids on a mission? Check. In André Øvredal’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” these loaded words are spoken by one of the film’s five central teens, tormented by a self-writing storybook they had carelessly taken away from a haunted house in their small town of Mill Valley, PA around Halloween of 1968. ![]()
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