A horror movie doesn’t always need to have a disgusting amount of gore and freakish imagery. I really liked this nice little movie because it had very good pacing and it was pretty atmospheric and suspenseful.
A horror movie doesn’t always need to have a disgusting amount of gore and freakish imagery. I really liked this nice little movie because it had very good pacing and it was pretty atmospheric and suspenseful.
This isn't horror. It's a mediocre thriller for tweens.
scary stories really does wonders in making all people equals in that the pale woman could justifiably haunt anyones nightmares, and I admire it for that :relieved:
Fun movie to watch; family-friendly, some spooky/creepy/jump moments but no excessive gore. This was a fun Halloween movie, great fun. Don't expect Oscar-winning acting or storylines; just grab the popcorn and have fun with this one.
not the worst adaptation but not the best. especially coming off of the fear street trilogy, this just makes my 10 year old self mildly disappointed. i think the way the monsters were rendered could've been done differently to emulate the illustrations more effectively while still blending into reality, and most importantly, i don't really understand the decision to set the movie in the 60s. given the peak cult popularity of the series in the late 80s to early 2000s in school libraries, i think an 80s setting at the earliest would've been better. maybe it would've been harder to connect with people who knew sarah but still, that was literally just one character connection?
i also get that this was made to appeal to a new generation of younger horror fans but i don't know... fear street clearly was too, but it also had enough flavor and nostalgia to keep millennial viewers engaged. i think this missed the mark in trying to be accessible to younger audiences, because the emphasis on the storyline and hero's journey type of plot made the best part of the books fade into the background—aka, the scary stories themselves.
Slow to start, but picked up after that. I was mostly interested for the monsters, which didn't disappoint me. I don't have any familiarity with the book (I was scared of EVERYTHING as a child, so my mom wisely kept books like this away from me), but I love monster horror now, and had seen a making-of video while looking at stuff about Javier Botet. I think this movie could've worked better as an anthology movie, without trying to tie all the creatures together with an overarching plot, but it did alright as it is. I'm also not sure about the choice of time period, and all the real world stuff about Nixon and the Vietnam War being included; none of it was needed, or explained anything relevant to the characters. If I'd watched this as a teen or a kid, I probably would've been scared, but nothing got me (even though the movie was running a few minutes ahead of the subtitles from wheresthejump.com), and mostly I just liked the monsters, especially the fat pale lady.
decent movie - lost a point because they used practical effects and mucked it up with poorly done postproduction cgi
I'm so confused! Is this movie supposed to be dumb? Is it intentional. Like a satire played on other horror movies? The characters are doing dumb things all the time. The story does not make sense. Plot is dead!
I mean this is directed by André Øvredal, and I'm aware of his work. I've seen his movies. He's good and for what I assume he is into this comic, satire kind thing, I don't know. But Guillermo del Toro has a credit for writing in this movie! He even produced this movie! Come on this has to be intentional that thia movie is so dumb!
Okay, but if this movie is what I think it is. Then they did a good job.
Characters were making wrong decisions all the time (cliché). One dumb friend in group (cliché). Ghost has a ROUGH PAST and decided to take revenge (cliché). This movie hits all the clichés we have seen and are seeing in horror movies this days.
The monsters/ghosts are awesome though! Harold the scarecrow, the lady in hospital, and the jangly man. Top notch work!
Overall this is a different movie. I'm kind of sure this is a satire. You can definitely watch this on Halloween. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::sweat_smile:
I liked how the script was written: showing us several horror stories in a book
I have no idea why I was expecting an anthology before I started watching this film. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. While I dislike the increasingly high number of horror films which take place in 1960s/70s/80s nowadays, I still enjoyed watching this one.
Surprisingly, each scary scene in the film is better than the one before, which makes the film better as you keep watching it.
Would I watch it again? Yes. Would I make my friends watch it? Why not?
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a mediocre horror film from Guillermo del Toro. Based on the popular book series, a group of misfit teenagers explore a haunted house where they find a book belonging to a witch that begins to write stories in blood foretelling each of their deaths. The script is pretty formulaic and the creatures are rather tame (kind of what you’d expect from a kids book series). Still, the sets and costumes are well done and set the right tone and feel for the time period. And there’s a powerful message about the power of storytelling. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has its problems, but it’s entertaining and delivers a few chills.
Average movie. Some cool visuals, but overall the story isn't anything "creepy"
So Ramon goes to fight in Vietnam and it's supposed to be a happy ending?! What the fuck kind of military propaganda is this? Is his story arc supposed to be "growth" from a disgusting peace loving draft dodging hippy coward to a brave American fighting for freedom and his friends. I liked the movie, but that ending put a bad taste in my mouth. Also, the backstory of Sarah felt underdeveloped, like she was a side-character and not the main villain. The movie is very pg-13 and it shows. This is the kind of horror that would probably scare me at 10 years old. But now it feels more like a monster(s) feature (which may scare a lot of people I guess, but I unfortunately couldn't find it scary). The monsters are not exactly hiding and are clearly visible most of the time, almost like under a spotlight. The designs are cool, the practical effects are cool for the most part. But the second to last monster, Jesus fuck. It has the most screen time (more than Sarah, yeah) and is the most video-game CGI monster in this film. Looks like a cutscene from outlast.
I didn't expect this to be any good, but my brother in law rented it and we watched it with him. I didn't take it very seriously and give it much attention, but what I saw was decent. It's like horror for kids, but what I enjoyed was how it seemed to tap into the spirit of the books and their stories. They were just the right level of weird and creepy to work. And that creepy girl at the school was straight out of the books' artwork.
My niece (2) and nephews (4 and 6) were all too scared to continue by about the school part.
Good looking Horror movie with some creative monsters and likeable characters. The three books that this movie is based on aren't particularly scary but the artwork, that's another story. So it was neat to see some of that art come to life on the big screen.
There are some tense moments, like when Chuck is pursued in hallways by a fat old woman and when a dismembered corpse terrorizes a police station. There are too many jump scares and a couple of them are cheap.
But this movie is really attractively shot and is going to be scary for kids under 13 or so. There isn't much gore or swearing but it is creepy thanks to those amazing monster creations.
My Review of ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ in 3 Sentences:
I wasn’t fully satisfied, but I wasn’t bored - thanks to some solid spooky visuals.
The Bellows family story - the source of the action - felt rushed and incomplete.
One major downside is that several character fates will never be revealed by a sequel that’ll never happen.
the movie is fine it's worth a watch for the jump scares the plot is not so good but the characters are fine they seem believable.
Dare I say this is better than It: Chapter 2?
YES
I loved it! It's a well made movie.
Above average. Not bad to watch around Halloween!
Love the feeling of watching scary stories told one by one. Not over the top suspense which is great, enough to make you goosebump. I love the characters. The story was a little rushed but I get the idea.
One of the better PG13 horrors, but really loses it's coherency steam around the halfway mark. Possibly could have worked better as an anthology TV series, with each episode focusing on each story rather than hotstepping from one to the next. Clumsily written but with some decent scares and solid monster design; let down by frequent blasts of awkward character development and topical comments about 1960's America. Good, but could have been much much better.
"An atmospheric adventure film, with nostalgic fear to remind children that not all fairy tales have happy endings."
really enjoyed this movie, they did a good job with this one.
Never particularly scary, but there is imagination to spare here, and a few neat visuals that enhance the macabre atmosphere. Perfect Halloween fare for the entire family - well, perhaps not Aunt Maude if her ticker isn't up to loud noises and jump moments.
Well that was a good story or can say a story within many stories.
The film had some good effects, creepy level was average, plot was on top shelf, good message and the cast were on the right chapter.
Too much style for the baby teens this is aimed and not enough scares for anyone.
Impressions after a second viewing with no jet lag: Scary Stories... is the cinematic equivalent of an amusement park haunted house ride.
maybe i was expecting to much about this film because the guilherme del toro production but it has some great scenes and the plot is good even been a little predictable
Think the movie Goosebumps, except the way they adapted these books is more clever and creepier. With the stories from the first book of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, coming to life.
I liked what counts and how it counts, the end, I see it a little easy, but good.
Not bad but not great. This is the perfect middle ground for pre teens looking for horror. There were a few decent scares but nothing over the top with gore.
This movie was honestly better than expected. It had a strong storyline, believable characters, and some decent suspense thrown in. (Which is a reminder that you don't need gore to have a decent Halloween horror story.)
Shout by AndreaBlockedParent2019-08-28T02:05:17Z
It's a bad movie with a god-awful script, even for its target demographic. If you want to introduce your kids to supernatural horror/suspense with a real nostalgic feel you're way better off showing them 2017 IT or even Stranger Things. Nice visuals, but that doesn't save it from being poorly done and overrated.
2.5/10.