Like most Xennials, I grew up reading Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. Our school library had all three books available. Reading them was like a rite of passage. Those terrifying Stephen Gammell illustrations haunted me in my formative years. They are still quite jarring today.
The André Øvredal film inspired by the books effectively captured the essence of the source material and introduced the stories to a whole new generation.
Even though he didn’t direct, you can see Guillermo del Toro’s influence on the film. The celebrated creator produced the project and also received a ‘story by’ credit. The monsters look like a cross between something he would conjure for one of his films and the illustrations from the original book series. No wonder I’m so fond of the adaptation.
When will Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark leave Netflix?
If you’ve somehow missed this spine-chilling horror feature, fear not. You can check it out on Netflix as of the publication of this post. But do not delay, dear reader. The film is leaving Netflix December 31st.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark had a long journey to the screen, with several stops and starts. CBS Films acquired the rights to the book in 2013. However, the project passed through the hands of several different creatives before finally making its way to the screen in the summer of 2019.
I’d say the wait was worth it. And the general public seems to agree. The YA horror picture grossed over $100 million at the global box office and garnered primarily positive reviews from critics. The Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus reads: “Like the bestselling series of books that inspired it, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark opens a creepy gateway into horror for younger genre enthusiasts.”
The setup for this Guillermo del Toro-produced chiller goes like this:
The shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large in the small town of Mill Valley for generations. It’s in a mansion that young Sarah Bellows turns her tortured life and horrible secrets into a series of scary stories. These terrifying tales soon have a way of becoming all too real for a group of unsuspecting teens who stumble upon Sarah’s spooky home.
That is all that we have for you at present. Be sure to stay tuned to Dread Central in the near future for more helpful updates on which films are leaving streaming and when. If you are keen to discuss books and films that ruined your childhood, come find me on Threads @FunWithHorror.
Categorized:News
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