Review of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) by Theredsky — 14 Aug 2019

This is a decent movie. It’s not great but it definitely has its moments. Here are the negatives. The script for the film for the most part sucks. The dialogue feels incredibly weird and forced that it feels awkward.

Another issue is that half of the characters in this film have little to no development. The two leads have backstories that are interesting while the other two, Chuck and Auggie, just don’t have any stories behind them.

All we know is that they are friends with the lead character. I read some of the short stories before seeing the actual film and the film is just not as terrifying as the novel. The film is definitely creepy and somewhat scary but it isn’t as scary as the novel it is based on.

Here are the positives. I think the acting is great from everyone. Most of the cast consists of teen actors and I think they all do a great job. The film knows how to build tension really well. The corn field scene is a perfect example.

There is always a sense of dread looming over the sequence until the scarecrow finally appears. The creature designs are really cool and creepy. The Pale Lady and Harold are really cool looking and creepy to look at.

Some of the scenarios that happen in the movie make your skin crawl. Most of those scenes are genuinely creepy and make you wonder why this film isn’t rated R. The production design for this movie is pretty good.

I enjoy each set piece and they all felt real. The editing is pretty good for the most part and the cinematography is decent. There are some really cool shots though many of which revolve around The Pale Lady and the Jangly Man.

The pacing and tone both remain consistent. Overall, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a decent horror film which great acting and really good monster design but lacks a good script and isn’t as terrifying as the original novel.

I give Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark a 6/10.