Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (film)

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For the book, see Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a horror film directed by André Øvredal, based on the children's book series of the same name by Alvin Schwartz. The screenplay was adapted by Dan and Kevin Hageman, from a screen story by producer Guillermo del Toro, as well as Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was theatrically released on August 9, 2019, by Lionsgate. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising the horror elements, though some criticized the screenplay.

The film started streaming on Netflix in January 1st, 2022, but was unfortunately removed from the streaming service on December 31st, 2022.

Plot

On Halloween 1968, in the Pennsylvania town of Mill Valley, three teenagers, Stella, Auggie, and Chuck, prank bully Tommy Milner. When Tommy and his gang chase them in retaliation, the three take refuge in the car of young drifter Ramón Morales. They conclude Halloween by visiting the supposedly haunted former home of the wealthy Bellows family, who owned the local paper mill. Inside, they find a book of horror stories written by Sarah Bellows, the Bellows' young daughter who was accused of witchcraft when the town's children mysteriously began to die; she allegedly committed suicide. Tommy locks the group inside along with Ruth, Chuck's sister. They escape, and Stella takes Sarah's book.

Back home, Stella discovers that a new story, entitled "Harold," has appeared on a page that was blank moments before. In a nearby cornfield, an inebriated Tommy is stalked by the titular Harold, his family's scarecrow, after it comes to life. He notices that Harold continuously moves towards his location. Harold starts walking towards him; Tommy bolts. But when he runs smack into Harold, the creature stabs him with a pitchfork, causing Tommy to vomit hay and undergo a violent transformation. Tommy is reported missing; Stella and Ramón find Harold dressed in Tommy's clothes. Stella is convinced that Tommy has been turned into a scarecrow.

A new story titled "The Big Toe" appears; the protagonist, Auggie, is kidnapped by a corpse searching for its missing toe, which is inside a stew that Auggie unwittingly eats. Auggie is then dragged under his bed by the corpse and disappears. After the remaining friends vainly attempt to destroy the book, they research Sarah's life. A new story, "The Red Spot", is written. Ruth is sitting in the backstage room, getting her makeup ready for the play, starts poking at a swollen spider bite on her cheek, which explodes and releases hundreds of tiny spiders. Ruth is rescued but is traumatized, and the play is cancelled.

The group's investigation takes them to the elderly Lou Lou Baptiste and they learn that Sarah did not die in the Bellows' House, like many believed, she hanged herself in the hospital where her brother, Dr. Ephraim Bellows, was her doctor. They head to a local hospital, where they discover that Sarah's brother performed electroshock therapy on her as part of a cover-up and to get Sarah to confess to killing the children. The family's mill had been poisoning the town's water with mercury, leading to the deaths of the town's children and Sarah was tortured by her family for trying to reveal the truth. To avoid suspicion, they blamed her for the deed. Chuck, while trying to evade hospital security, accidentally triggers an alarm, bathing the hallways in red light. Stella begins to narrate a story with Chuck as the main character. Chuck is then attacked and cornered by the Pale Lady, a phantom from his nightmares, who absorbs him.

Stella and Ramón are arrested for trespassing by Police Chief Turner, who reveals that Ramón is a Vietnam War draft dodger. Ramón reveals that it was out of fear after his brother enlisted and his dead body was returned to them in pieces. A head falls down the chimney; more body parts follow. Ramón realizes that the next creature is called the Jangly Man, a monster from a story called Me-Tai-Do-Tee-Walker that frightened him as a child. The Jangly Man snaps Turner's neck; Ramón and Stella escape and run to the Bellows house for answers. Stella is taken back in time while Ramón tries to evade the Jangly Man. Living out Sarah's experience of the torture, Stella promises Sarah that she will tell the truth of her innocence if she stops harming people. Stella writes down the true story in blood, and Sarah and all of her monsters vanish.

Stella writes the truth about Sarah's life in the papers, keeping her promise. Ramón accepts his enlistment and shares an emotional goodbye with Stella before he leaves for the war. With Ruth recovered, Stella states that she will find a way to rescue Chuck and Auggie.

Cast

Kids

• Zoe Colletti as Stella Nicholls
• Michael Garza as Ramón Rodriguez
• Gabriel Rush as August "Auggie" Hilderbrandt
• Austin Zajur as Charlie "Chuck" Steinberg
• Natalie Ganzhorn as Ruth "Ruthie" Steinberg
• Austin Abrams as Tommy Milner

Mill Valley Townspeople

• Dean Norris as Roy Nicholls
• Gil Bellows as Police Chief Turner
• Lorraine Toussaint as Louise "Lou Lou" Baptiste
  • Ajanae Stephenson as Young Louise Baptiste
• Marie Ward as Mrs. Hilderbrandt
• Deborah Pollitt as Mrs. Steinberg
• Matt Smith as Mr. Steinberg
• Karen Glave as Claire Baptiste
• Kyle Labine as Deputy Hobbs
• Victoria Fodor as Mrs. Milner