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Lee (2222 KP) rated Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) in Movies
Aug 21, 2019
Obviously I'm not familiar with the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark books that this movie is based on - a series of three books containing short horror stories for children and drawing heavily on urban legend and folklore for it's subject matter, first published in 1981. Apparently, the series is listed by the American Library Association as being the most challenged series of books from the 1990s, with complaints relating to the violence and disturbing subject matter portrayed within them not being suitable for the children it was aimed at. The illustrations within the book also drew criticism, vividly portraying the nightmare creatures and scenes contained within the stories. Perfect material for a movie version!
That movie version comes from Troll Hunter director André Øvredal and producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toro and attempts a Goosebumps style movie, taking some of the better known stories from the 80+ contained within the books and weaving them into a larger narrative, set in Mill Valley Pennsylvania during the fall of 1968.
It's Halloween and a group of teens are preparing to go out for an evening of trick or treating - applying makeup, getting into their costumes, fishing in the toilet for turds in preparation for a Halloween trick. They head out on their bikes but it's not long before they run into some idiot jocks from their local school, and that turd trick suddenly comes in handy! We've already been introduced to the jocks earlier in the movie, out in a cornfield where they were hitting a creepy looking scarecrow about the head with a baseball bat. Yep, they're certainly going to regret that a little bit later on!
The teens manage to escape the jocks, working their way into a drive through movie that's showing "Night of the Living Dead" and into the car of another teen called Ramón. The group strike up a bond with Ramón after he helps them out and they all decide to go and break into an abandoned local house which is reportedly haunted. They find their way into the basement where legend has it that Sarah Bellows, the daughter of a prominent local family, was locked away in the late 1800s. Horror nerd Stella comes across a book containing short scary stories that were written in blood by Sarah, and she decides to take it with them. As Stella opens the book’s pages, she sees that Sarah’s stories are literally beginning to write themselves - stories that put her friends in some pretty unpleasant situations, stories which immediately become reality the moment they're written. As Stella later puts it, "You don't read the book, the book reads you".
The setup and the scenarios within each story are enjoyable enough and are certainly creepy, however the execution doesn't always work so well and the payoffs aren't quite as scary as I would have liked. The movie also suffers from some slightly dodgy CGI at times too, which doesn't help. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the final story, and the return to the house in order to try and stop Sarah Bellows worked really well for me. It all ends with a definite opportunity for a sequel and with plenty more scary stories to choose from within the source material, I'm sure we'll be seeing another one soon. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark taps nicely into the "It" and "Stranger Thing" vibe, with it's group of teens rising up together against evil, and despite it's faults I did have a lot of fun with it. I'm definitely interested in seeing more.
That movie version comes from Troll Hunter director André Øvredal and producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toro and attempts a Goosebumps style movie, taking some of the better known stories from the 80+ contained within the books and weaving them into a larger narrative, set in Mill Valley Pennsylvania during the fall of 1968.
It's Halloween and a group of teens are preparing to go out for an evening of trick or treating - applying makeup, getting into their costumes, fishing in the toilet for turds in preparation for a Halloween trick. They head out on their bikes but it's not long before they run into some idiot jocks from their local school, and that turd trick suddenly comes in handy! We've already been introduced to the jocks earlier in the movie, out in a cornfield where they were hitting a creepy looking scarecrow about the head with a baseball bat. Yep, they're certainly going to regret that a little bit later on!
The teens manage to escape the jocks, working their way into a drive through movie that's showing "Night of the Living Dead" and into the car of another teen called Ramón. The group strike up a bond with Ramón after he helps them out and they all decide to go and break into an abandoned local house which is reportedly haunted. They find their way into the basement where legend has it that Sarah Bellows, the daughter of a prominent local family, was locked away in the late 1800s. Horror nerd Stella comes across a book containing short scary stories that were written in blood by Sarah, and she decides to take it with them. As Stella opens the book’s pages, she sees that Sarah’s stories are literally beginning to write themselves - stories that put her friends in some pretty unpleasant situations, stories which immediately become reality the moment they're written. As Stella later puts it, "You don't read the book, the book reads you".
The setup and the scenarios within each story are enjoyable enough and are certainly creepy, however the execution doesn't always work so well and the payoffs aren't quite as scary as I would have liked. The movie also suffers from some slightly dodgy CGI at times too, which doesn't help. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the final story, and the return to the house in order to try and stop Sarah Bellows worked really well for me. It all ends with a definite opportunity for a sequel and with plenty more scary stories to choose from within the source material, I'm sure we'll be seeing another one soon. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark taps nicely into the "It" and "Stranger Thing" vibe, with it's group of teens rising up together against evil, and despite it's faults I did have a lot of fun with it. I'm definitely interested in seeing more.
I know I shouldn’t really say this sort of thin out loud, but this was actually a lot more interesting than I thought it might be. It consists of 39 short stories about the author’s travels around different parts of the world to places that are often uncharted, forgotten, or lost. Actually, there are quite bizarre and spooky stories, too. It’s made me want to visit these places to see if I can feel myself surrounded by ghosts (The Phantom Tunnel of Shinjuku Station, British Graveyard- Shimla, and Magical ‘ley-lines’ of London for starters!)
As you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s interesting to not only discover these new tales of old, but to realise how some micro-nations are struggling to survive, as new islands emerge, and borders and boundaries come and go changing our world faster than ever before.
A fascinating book that’s also quite alarming!
As you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s interesting to not only discover these new tales of old, but to realise how some micro-nations are struggling to survive, as new islands emerge, and borders and boundaries come and go changing our world faster than ever before.
A fascinating book that’s also quite alarming!
Kristin (149 KP) rated Wonderstruck in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'll begin by saying the cover is fantastic; I couldn't stop looking at it! That being said, it's that feeling, the one that every picture has a story to tell, that is the inspiration behind the stories in this anthology. They go from "drabbles" of 100 words to short stories and novellas, and each is as unique as the author who wrote it. It's amazing how so many people can look at the same picture and yet draw a completely different tale from it, all the while bringing those thoughts and images into reality for the reader. I hope this idea will be continued into another book (or several!), using different pictures, or perhaps with each author being given an opening line and having to write a story from that. Loved it!! =)
5 stars
I'll begin by saying the cover is fantastic; I couldn't stop looking at it! That being said, it's that feeling, the one that every picture has a story to tell, that is the inspiration behind the stories in this anthology. They go from "drabbles" of 100 words to short stories and novellas, and each is as unique as the author who wrote it. It's amazing how so many people can look at the same picture and yet draw a completely different tale from it, all the while bringing those thoughts and images into reality for the reader. I hope this idea will be continued into another book (or several!), using different pictures, or perhaps with each author being given an opening line and having to write a story from that. Loved it!! =)
5 stars
My People
Steffan Donnelly and Caradoc Evans
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The Secret Lives of People in Love: Includes the Award-Winning Collection Love Begins in Winter
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Since the publication of his critically acclaimed debut collection The Secret Lives of People in...
Chloe (778 KP) rated The Last Wish in Books
Jul 18, 2020
Characters (1 more)
Stories
Interesting
The first of the Witcher books that covers him meeting Yennefer.
I expected to be wooed by this book as the series was really great and I had heard great things about the book too. Until the final two chapters I was quite underwhelmed, the book is similar to several short stories and these were not in order. I found this a little frustrating.
Geralt seemed to lack a personal connection and I was finding it hard to enjoy this book. Fortunately, the last two chapters are brilliant, I devoured them very quickly and cant wait to read the next one. I really hope the following installments have a longer story but I don't know if that will be the case. Either way I will probably finish the full series as I niw feel invested in the characters.
I expected to be wooed by this book as the series was really great and I had heard great things about the book too. Until the final two chapters I was quite underwhelmed, the book is similar to several short stories and these were not in order. I found this a little frustrating.
Geralt seemed to lack a personal connection and I was finding it hard to enjoy this book. Fortunately, the last two chapters are brilliant, I devoured them very quickly and cant wait to read the next one. I really hope the following installments have a longer story but I don't know if that will be the case. Either way I will probably finish the full series as I niw feel invested in the characters.
Travel Bites
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Travel Bites is a collection of short stories that criss-cross the globe. It is the first work by...
Daddy Obsession: Gay Erotic Stories
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Why are daddies so exciting? Is it their big belly covered with grey fur or their chiseled bodies...
The Cancer Survivors Club: A Collection of Inspirational and Uplifting Stories
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The Cancer Survivors Club brings together first-hand accounts of ordinary people who have beaten...
Cry Your Way Home
8.0
Rate It
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“Once upon a time there was a monster. This is how they tell you the story starts. This is a...