If you wanted a good scare as a kid, you read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The books remain deeply disturbing to this day, and now we’ve got a movie on the way produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Alvin Schwartz. Yesterday CBS Films released the first poster featuring the homicidal scarecrow Harold and now we’ve got the first TV spots for the film.
I don’t know what the rating will be on this, but I expect it to be a hard PG-13 that may not be gruesome, but it will still be pretty horrifying. I’m totally fine with that, and you can see from these TV spots that the film promises to be deeply unnerving. I can easily see Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark being a huge summer hit as teenagers who want some big scares check out the film before heading back to school.
It will be interesting to see how they weave together the horror elements—Scary Stories is a collection of short stories—into a single narrative that serves different kinds of horror tales under one umbrella. A film like Goosebumps can get away with something a little lighter and sillier, but Scary Stories looks pretty hardcore for what it is, so I’m curious how the framing device will fit with the tone.
Check out the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark TV spots below. The film opens August 9th and stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, and Lorraine Toussaint.
She leaned over the bed and whispered, "This is an evil place. Flee while you can."
From the dark imagination of Guillermo del Toro, based on the iconic book series, your first look at Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – in theaters this summer. #ScaryStories pic.twitter.com/NywkMMOwxA
— Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (@ScaryStoriesMov) February 4, 2019
Turn out the lights and prepare for terror… the Jangly Man is coming for you.
From the dark imagination of Guillermo del Toro, based on the iconic book series, your first look at Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – in theaters this summer. #ScaryStories pic.twitter.com/b76IxYSDwI
— Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (@ScaryStoriesMov) February 3, 2019
"Who took my big to-o-o-o-o-e?"
From the dark imagination of Guillermo del Toro, based on the iconic book series, your first look at Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – in theaters this summer. #ScaryStories pic.twitter.com/am6qjrD5eg
— Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (@ScaryStoriesMov) February 3, 2019
Here’s the official synopsis for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark:
Inspired by one of the most terrifying children’s book series of all time, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK follows a group of young teens who must solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town.
via Collider