These words are uttered by one of the 5 teens in André Ovredal’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” The storybook is possessed, and it writes itself. These kids happened to bring it back from a haunted house in Mill Valley PA on 1968 Halloween. Now, shall we look at the formulated components, or shall we count our blessings? Check. A group of boys with a mission? Check. Period nostalgia that’s to say, “Oh, so it’s not the cliché 80s “Stranger Things” and “IT” Now let me reminisce the overdone era.” Check. American small town that nicely rhymes with Hill Valley? Check. Halloween, haunted house, a cursed object? Check check check. That’s more than enough well-known ingredients to get the perfect blend of potatoes and make a genre stew. And thanks to Øvredal’s visual stylistic and visceral embrace of monsters of Guillermo Del Toro, who, among the team of writers and producers here, clearly has greatly influenced the “Trollhunter” director’s somber perspective towards the genre. This soothing but far from innovative piece of work is drenched with comforting flavors throughout.
If your childhood was not like mine, filled with camping in the backyard, staying at spooky lodges by the lake, and making s’mores by the bonfire, you might not be familiar with the “Scary Stories” trilogy by Alvin Schwartz which was illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Luckily, Øvredal’s stylishly vintage movie “Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark” does not need any pre-requisite knowledge; all you need is an appreciation for cinema like The Changeling, Ringu, “Night of the Living Dead” and a sprinkle of nostalgic love for Goonies. It also helps to know these books are written in anthology format. Co-writers Dan and Kevin Hageman, alongside story wizards Del Toro, Marcus Dunstan, and Patrick Melton produced a brazenly choppy unifying narrative through one of the series’ most beloved children’s stories “Harold,” and “The Big Toe, and “The Red Spot,” while still abiding by the PG-13 nature of the novels. One thing “Scary Stories” could wake up is younger movie watchers’ new found hunger for horror.
The plot that highlights the kindling essence of storytelling revolves around the introverted Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti from “Wildlife”), a motherless aspiring writer with father issues and a passion for horror she has posters of her favorite horrors on her walls. There is also the enigmatic Ramón, Michael Garza, a Mexican-American teenager who passes through town but gets stuck after he saves Stella’s troupe from some bullies at night in a drive-in theater. There is also the nerdy Auggie (Gabriel Rush) dressed as Pierrot for Halloween. His costume choice is a running even funnier than his gags. The goofy Chuck (Austin Zajur) along with his beautiful and famous sister Ruth (Natalie Ganzhorn) and other three children. They argue and consist a quintet. You would describe them as troublesome. On a night, they decided to visit an out of bounds boarded up mansion said to have had a horrible backstory. They managed to take out a story book from the vengeful spirit of the murderous Sarah Bellows (Kathleen Pollard) who was supposedly imprisoned by her rich, cruel family. To their shock, they end up breaking the curse, but not without suffering the consequences of disturbing the ghost. One by one, they all begin to vanish. Inside the book that was intended to be a fantasy novel, begins to unleash terrifying stories, suited to the teens deepest fears.
Unsurprisingly, the highlights of Øvredal’s film are far more entertaining to watch in isolation than through the lens of the entire plot. Anant ho frameworks ka sono parda ohrathe hai. While we do not fully engage with the children’s personalized apprehensions while they are attempting to extract alien nightmares from their minds, the seams around the anthology become hard to ignore and appreciate. Fortunately, Øvredal seems to understand there are parts which are stronger than the whole, making sure to showcase the visual feats he has to make each sequence of the novel’s terror stand out in their own regard. From the astonishing opening montage that features Donovan’s “Season of the Witch” of which Lana Del Rey’s cover plays at the end to spiders crawling out of the walls and ghoulish stalkers creeping up behind children, the bite-sized thrills of “Scary Stories” are packed with so many jolts that they are best suited for the teenage audience instead of adults.
The movie engages with political history and racism in the country, but to varying degrees of success. The meticulous work of designer David Brisbin gives life to the character of the era and, alongside knowing the dread of the Vietnam War, we recall Nixon’s posters and TV appearances. A strained effort that does not quite do the job. However, “Scary Stories” remains a weirdly nostalgic positive tribute to classic groups of curious children, and While “Scary Stories” surely does not bring anything new to the table, There is more than enough fun to be had along with kids who make magic out of life’s terrifying mysteries while surviving to tell the tale.
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