Now that Guillermo del Toro is a Best Picture recipient, it’s an extra big deal when he attaches his name to a movie. Especially when it’s a horror movie. Based on the iconic book series of the same name, the the André Øvredal-directed, del Toro-produced Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is about, well, I’ll tell you what it’s not about: pleasant facts to not tell in the daytime. Readers of Alvin Schwartz’s books will recognize some familiar creepies in the trailer above, including the “Big Toe” monster and the Pale Lady. Also, this happens.
Hint: that ain’t a pimple. Here’s the official plot summary.
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 mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time—stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying home.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, which stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Abrams, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur, Natalie Ganzhorn, and Dean Norris, opens on August 9.
