Last night was the Cineworld Unlimited screening of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, a movie that I’d heard a lot about and obviously seen the trailers on the internet and in the cinema.
Now before I go on with the review, I have to say that the movie is based on the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” book series published in the 1980s, written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell, which I’m ashamed to say I’ve not read, but I may be checking them out now.
OK then, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is set in 1968 and it does have somewhat of a slow start as we build up who the characters are for the film, the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large, it is in this large, foreboding, mansion that a secret was kept locked away in a room, a place where Sarah Bellows was locked away, tortured by her family, she writes her scary stories that become real when a group of teenagers discover her hidden room and her book written in blood!
I have to say that Scary Takes to Tell in the Dark wasn’t what I was expecting from the trailers, I was expecting more jumps from the movie and I didn’t jump once, so it’s not so much a horror film, more of a tale of horror, a movie that may play on someone’s fears, very much like the book does by taking fears and manifesting them into the real world.
That’s not to say that the film is bad, it’s by no means bad, the storyline runs along nicely, the effects work very well, such as the “jangly man” that comes in pieces and spookily comes together to put the fear into one of the characters.
The physical effects also look creepy, look out for the girl with the long black hair and the big black eyes in the “Red Room”, now that’s a character that could cause some nightmares.
The surround sound is used in some scenes well, in “Harold” the sound of the corn rustling and the wind, in the field with the scarecrow is used to great effect, throwing the sound around the screen, giving you the feeling of being in the filed.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is an anthology of sorts, it reminded me of Tales from the Crypt but lacked the awesomeness of the Crypt Keeper, it’s a movie that is fun to watch, but if you’re expecting something that will scare the living daylights out of you, then you may be a little disappointed, there are several moments that are predictable, maybe that’s just me after watching so many movies, but who knows.
If you are of a nervous disposition when it comes to scary films, then this may be one for you to ease yourself into before going all out with IT Chapter Two when it is released on September 6th.
Not as scary as I would have hoped for!
Movie title: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Movie description: A group of teens face their fears in order to save their lives.
Date published: August 21, 2019
Director(s): André Øvredal
Actor(s): Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
