Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

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This might be the very first film of 2019, which I knew absolutely nothing about going into the theater. Usually, I avoid trailers for most movies, but it’s almost impossible to not catch an image or a clip here and there. However, for Scary Stories, since it wasn’t heavily marketed in my country (at least), the only things I knew was that Guillermo del Toro was involved and that it was a horror flick. Knowing del Toro, I also remembered myself that this wouldn’t just be a straightforward horror story, filled with predictable jump scares, and a bland narrative. That’s my first advice to my fellow readers: if you expect a film similar to those of The Conjuring Universe, then you’ll be disappointed.

It’s also not the other extreme. It doesn’t follow the ambiguity and weirdness of Jordan Peele’s installments, so if you’re one of those people that don’t appreciate that type of horror, you’re safe as well. Having in mind the latest movies released from the genre, it’s hard to find one that balances these two separate takes instead of choosing one of them. Scary Stories spends its first half slow-building their characters, but mainly its story. There’s a massive build-up to something that’s pretty much the premise of the film, so it struggles to reach the actual “action” without it becoming a tad boring or too long. It’s a “breath of fresh air” (in the genre, I mean) to have a good set up, with decent character development, and an exponential interest in the main story, instead of jumping into silly horror sequences fifteen minutes after it started.

André Øvredal does an excellent job in directing. He really knows how to generate suspense and create a genuinely creepy build-up. There’s tremendous camera work involved in some fantastic sequences that don’t rely on jump scares to provide the “fear” factor. It’s the never-ending suspense, that feeling of claustrophobia even if the character isn’t...

There’s just enough scares to appeal to the under-15s with disposable income, but very little for anyone else looking to get into the real Halloween spirit. ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ has the potential to be really unique, but is let down by its blandness and lack of originality. Yes, there’s a hint at a sequel at the end of the film, but I hope for our sake that the book is closed on any more of these scary stories.

• Charlie David Page

Read Charlie's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-a-harmless-tale-that-wont-haunt-you

I was a little bit disappointed by Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but I say that with the caveat of it being one movie that I went into with high expectations - something I generally try to avoid having if I can. There is a lot I liked, creature effects, probably top of that list, but the story feels disconnected and for me had an unsatisfying resolution.

Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.

I have no idea why I was expecting an anthology before I started watching this film. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. While I dislike the increasingly high number of horror films which take place in 1960s/70s/80s nowadays, I still enjoyed watching this one.

Surprisingly, each scary scene in the film is better than the one before, which makes the film better as you keep watching it.

Would I watch it again? Yes. Would I make my friends watch it? Why not?

Most "Haunted House" attraction movies are horrible. "Haunt" is the rare exception. The directors also wrote "The Quiet Place" and Eli Roth was involved. Regardless, this is a slick Halloween thriller.

For a horror fan, this series is outstanding. And if yoi are not a horror fan, it is suggested strongly that you stop reading or watch and turn to something else.

Each episode, Eli Roth focuses on the most classic movies in a specific sub-genre while getting commentary from that movies director/writer/actor or a deep bench of horror/film aficionados such as Stephen King and Quentin Tarantino.

Be warned, If you are new to horror, or haven't seen all the movies featured, it will spoil everything. It showcases the most famous and/or best scenes of each referenced movie.

For the rest of us horror peeps, its a great hour long recap / analysis of what should be our favorite films.

I had high expectations for this movie. The books means so much to me. I found them when I was a lonely kid in School who was picked on and what day went to the library and found a book called scary stories to tell in the dark. I fell in love with the stories due to my Macabre nature. I've always held all three books in the series close to my heart. However this movie didn't really bring what the books bring which is a sentence of sheer terror. I felt like there weren't enough scary moments. There wasn't enough short stories. It felt like we were focused on the one girl's story and her tacked on love interest. I did love the few scary moments it did have and the one gross one with the big toe. I just felt like it needed more and could have done more. It's not a horrible movie it just feels like it's not finished and like it wasn't enough.

It must be old age but 2019 has produced half a dozen so-called "horror" films that are about as terrifying as running out of milk. This has one of the better, though still pretty derivative, storylines; and at times can be quite dark, but the use of teenagers as the conduits for the fear just isn't convincing. The plot, such as it is, is remarkably forgettable and the effects rely heavily on (admittedly some very effective) sound editing. Won't have your quivering unless you're sitting in a draft....