As the opening of the film mysteriously imparts, stories come in all shapes and sizes. Sharing scary stories with a group is a rich tradition that has been around for centuries, each generation passing down the one they heard from their childhood on to the next and so on and so on. There are hundreds of these stories, and Alvin Schwartz collected them and retold many in his three “Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark” books. The film adaptation of the same name, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, is a compilation of multiple characters from these tales, but like the book collections, the stories and characters are once again being retold. Between the three screenplay credits and two story by credits (yes, you read that correctly), the resulting story feels far less chilling and more obvious and predictable in a tale that isn’t short on creepy visuals but lacking originality.
It’s 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind…but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their abandoned mansion on the edge of town that Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti), her two friends (Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur) and a mysterious stranger they just meet (Michael Garza) discover a book hidden in a secret room. Their discovery leads to everyone who was in the mansion that Halloween night coming face to face with their deepest, darkest fears.
André Øvredal impressively captures these ghastly creatures and sights in imaginative and haunting ways. They look as if they stepped off the page in all their glory. But like the stories that they’re based on, the imagery is the most memorable part of this lackluster film. The designs and creatures are just as creepy as Stephen Gammell’s original drawings, but also, the film is as predictable as those stories, even in the delivery and setup of the scares. Technically, all the pieces are there for an effective scary story: a Halloween setting, a small town in the 60s, a haunted house, and creepy horror imagery. Yet, the story doesn’t pull the audience in nor does it provide a sense of intrigue or its own unique narrative voice.
Even worse, the story lazily connects these creatures through a script that simultaneously bores and confuses the audience. It tries to explain that these stories tap into the subconscious or what the characters fear but never explains the rhyme or reasoning behind it. It’s like a NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST. film without explaining the rules. By the time you get to the final act and learn about the family who once lived in the mansion, the film has already lost its audience who are simply waiting around just to see the next creature on screen. The overly familiar setup is visually and technically well done, but struggles to find a reason for the creatures and for the audience to care. Ultimately, leaving you cold… and not in a chilling way.
Given how each story in the books is its own isolated tale, it’s interesting that SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK didn’t go in a more anthology direction; even a streaming series might be a better format to reimagine these dark tales. Despite the story and structure, horror fans will still find a lot to like as Øvredal and his cinematographer Roman Osin provide an immersive world of creepy, small-town horror. It might not be very original or cleverly done, but maybe fans can simply look at the visuals on screen and tell themselves their own scary story to bring meaning to the scares.
Overall score: 2 out of 4
SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK opens in theaters August 9th
