Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)

When I first heard of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, I thought it was an anthology film like Tales from the Darkside: The Movie or Trilogy of Terror. It’s not. Based on a series of books by Alvin Schwartz, the movie combines elements of stories found within the books into an overarching story about a small Pennsylvania town with a dark past.

We’re quickly introduced to a trio of teenage friends — Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti), Auggie (Gabriel Rush,) and Chuck (Austin Zajur) — on Halloween night in 1968. A run-in with local bully, Tommy (Austin Abrams,) has the threesome seeking refuge at the local drive-in. They enter a car owned by Ramón (Michael Garza,) who is just passing through town. Ramon quickly bonds with Stella over their mutual love of horror movies. When Stella suggests the group visit a haunted house, Ramón quickly drives them there.

The three friends tell Ramón the tale of the house’s former inhabitants, the Bellows. The Bellows had a daughter, Sarah, who was kept locked in the basement because she was “different.” Of course, “different” is usually a euphemism for “reviled” in old stories like this one. As the group explores the decrepit mansion, Stella finds a storybook said to have been written by Sarah. Unbeknownst to her, the book possesses a strange power over the real world that is unleashed when it leaves the house.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark takes its time to get rolling but, once it does, it’s a thrill-ride of spook-house type scares. Each of the stories in Sarah’s book are taken from those included in Schwartz’s book series. Having never read the original source material, I can’t say how faithful they are but, as they’re presented here, they all have an urban legend quality to them that makes them feel strangely familiar. Thankfully, they’re creative enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.

While it might sound like a Stranger Things ripoff due to its “group of friends solving a mystery in a small town” vibe, it’s definitely not. There’s a nostalgic aspect to the film but it’s more negative than longing. Based in 1968, the story takes place during the Vietnam War, with the events leading up to election of Richard Nixon and racial tension looming. Ramón, an out-of-towner, gets the side-eye from Mill Valley townsfolk simply for the color of his skin.

Director André Øvredal, responsible for the excellent Trollhunter and The Autopsy of Jane Doe, chalks up another winner even though this outing is aimed at a younger audience.  For a PG13-rated horror movie, this is a genuinely scary good time for adults and kids too old for Goosebumps.