Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

One thing I’ve always loved when it comes to cinema, is its ability to outright bind an audience together. Which is a feat that it manages to accomplish in so many different ways. For some, it’s about settling into the theater with friends that share a love of a particular franchise because being together to experience the next entry in said series is simply magical in its own right. For others, it’s simply about being able to share in the emotions that a movie engenders in all of us with a group of strangers, because that really is an experience in its own right and for some, it’s all about enjoying that sense of nostalgia when Hollywood takes the time to adapt our favorite stories from back in the day for the silver screen.
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Because there really is something special about seeing out favorite childhood stories appear on the big screen, since it allows for us to remember exactly what we were feeling as kids when we first picked up the comic or book that inspired this Hollywood adaptation. And while sometimes those adaptations don’t quite go like we’d hoped, since someone, at some point, thought it would be best to alter this story and find a way to make it appeal to the masses, there are others that are true to the source material and wow us as they bring to life exactly what that story intended in the first place. And recently, I had the opportunity to watch a big screen adaptation of a set of a stories that I absolutely loved growing up, in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Now, while it seems as though this is a fine time to settle in and discuss why these stories mean so much to me and such, we’re going to skip that today. Because the internet is already awash with stories that reflect upon the books that influenced this movie. So, there’s really no need to jump in and do what everyone else is doing, especially when there is likely a bigger question hanging over your head when it comes to this movie; specifically, is it any good? Well the answer to that question goes beyond a resounding yes, because this adaptation is in fact, a magnificent horror film. Which quite frankly, is something I didn’t expect from a PG-13 movie based upon children’s books (and I use that term, loosely) from the 1980s and 1990s.

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But this motion picture features some incredibly chilling moments to say the least, and that’s thanks in large part to two key elements. The first one being, the special effects here are solid. For the monsters that were present in the books come to life here in spectacular fashion, by way of a healthy mix of CGI and practical effects and seeing these monsters in three dimensions, after they gave so many of us nightmares growing up, puts you on edge as a viewer. Also, oddly enough, the PG-13 rating for this film actually serves as a benefit to the story. Because there’s no gore present in this film, and by removing the splatter, psychology has to come in to play here and that’s supremely effective to say the least, since it prompts a slow burn approach to some of the scares, the kind that make your skin crawl as you anticipate the worst.
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However, those two elements aside, there’s something else that makes this film a solid horror flick in that, the plot is engaging and brilliant. Because often times with big screen adaptations such as this, big moments from the source material feel shoehorned into the movie, as though they were put there for fan service only and that often creates a jarring experience when all is said and done. But here, the plot revolving around the mysterious Sarah Bellows and her magical stories feels organic and it draws you in and that is quite the accomplishment for certain since it provides the audience with something more to chew upon than what monster came from which story in the book, and it also gives us some fleshed out characters that you come to root for as they unravel the spooky and fascinating nightmare they’ve been plunged into.

If anything, I walked into this one expecting it to be an adequate adaptation at best, the kind that would leave the audience hungry for something with a little more depth to it. But instead, I walked out of this one with a smile on my face because it delivered in every single way imaginable. Not only did the images that haunted me as a child come to life in flawless fashion, they were present in a quality story that managed to pay homage to the genre as a whole in so many ways, and I especially loved the George A. Romero tribute, and quite frankly the sense of fun this movie brings to the table. Because it also features some perfectly timed comedic moments and sequences where you’re almost compelled to tell the characters to run as fast as they can, and all of those elements make this motion picture one that I highly recommend, due to the fact that it’s just a good old fashioned scary movie, one that satisfies a hungry fan base and one that opens up a whole new world those unfamiliar with the iconic books these scary stories came from. 

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