Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (4 Stars)

I probably saw the trailer for this film more than any film ever. At the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival in 2019 it was shown at least three times a day. The people in attendance learnt the dialogue of the trailer by heart, and they were reciting the lines whenever it was shown. Ironically, I missed it when it was finally shown on the last day of the festival, because it was shown too late. I always missed the last film, because I needed to catch the last bus.

The film takes place in 1968, against the background of the Vietnam War. It's a constant theme in conversations and news reports. It begins on Halloween. Four teenagers visit a haunted house. In the late 19th Century it was the residence of Sarah Bellows, a woman who killed children. She disappeared, but years later her corpse was found in the basement, where she'd been locked up by her family. Supposedly, anyone who sat in the basement could hear her telling stories.

They find the room where Sarah was trapped. They find a book in which Sarah wrote her stories. It's full of scary stories. Stella Nicholls takes it home to read it. Later in the evening she sees a story writing itself. It's about a boy in her school turning into a scarecrow. The next day the boy has disappeared, and she finds a scarecrow wearing his clothing. Over the next few days this repeats itself: a new story is written each evening by an invisible hand, always about one of her friends, always leading to the person's death. The events in the story take place in real life while the story is being written.

This is a good film, only marred by the appearance of silly looking monsters. I suppose it's supposed to be a series of stories, so the monsters don't have to look realistic within the context of the film. I've always liked horror films that take place with high school children, and the contemporary pop music makes it sound like "Scream". The film ends with a hook for a sequel. It was a financial success, so we can expect a sequel as soon as it's permitted by the Coronavirus.

Success Rate:  + 2.2

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