Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has been giving kids the heebie-jeebies for decades. But judging by the first teaser for film adaptation, this one might not become the sleepover staple the book was.
It doesn't appear to be following the anthology format many first suspected, but telling an interconnected narrative about the stories in the book coming to life. With two writers from The LEGO Movie series adapting the collection into its own movie, it's probably going for something scarier than Goosebumps but not as frightening as It. Even with the Academy Award-winning Guillermo del Toro attached, this all but confirms my fears that this would be like his Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. That remake also didn't provide many thrills, and paled in comparison to del Toro's other horror movies like The Devil's Backbone. Still, this will probably make a killing, or at least tide fans over until It: Chapter 2.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark hits theaters on Friday, August 9.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
