★★★★
A group of teens face their fears as a cursed book of scary stories brings all kinds of monsters to life.
Classification: 15
A delightfully spooky adventure similar to Nightmare or Elm Street, this adaptation of the famous collection of horror stories by Alvin Schwartz is sure to thrill and chill its audiences with its great atmosphere and creepy creatures. It can get a bit repetitive at times but director André Øvredal keeps the film captivating, focusing on keeping the scares practical and personal. So while the story may not be groundbreaking it does allow for the film to focus on what counts; the scary stories and with every intensification, the seemingly unavoidable fate that awaits the characters. With its period setting, Scary Stories addresses issues of racism, sexism and essentially the corruption of innocence in America, with the Stephen King-esque town of Mill Valley, Pennsylvania bearing all the hallmarks of classic Americana. This Americana and its iconography become perverted by the evil spirits and creatures as cornfields, suburban homes and classrooms become the disturbing playgrounds for all manner of creature. While the monsters themselves are metaphors for societies greater evils, they all tie into the central themes of fear as they are merely tools for the vengeful spirit seeking revenge against those who have disturbed her.
The characters begin to discover what is responsible for the macabre fates of their friends, praying upon their deepest fears and writing out their final moments before their helpless eyes. A cursed storybook belonging to infamous town legend Sarah Bellows with stories written in blood, it allows the film to dilute its episodic source material into a ticking clock. Sarah Bellows takes on the role of a Freddy Kruger like figure, a spectre that torments the teenagers, can manipulate and conjure in any environment and becomes the obsession of main character Stella as she tries to learn how to stop her. Stop Sarah and you stop the stories becomes the goal of the film and its at this point that the film can start to feel repetitive because the structure of the film becomes: scary story, one less character, learn more about Sarah, and repeat. It makes Scary Stories a bit of mixed bag in bits because while it makes some of the plot routine it does also make the stakes of the film more credible. It's not death pursuing the characters but punishment with some of the results of Bellow's stories being downright bone-chilling but with only the teenagers as the targets and with no adults believing their predicament, it's not long until Bellow's revenge is complete.
So while the written stories take on the form of classic horror tales in the vein of campfire stories and dime store novels, the larger narrative of the film serves as the fable for the themes of the film. Øvredal's direction keeps a satisfying balance between the two-story forms because each part serves each other in turn leading to a creepy yet gratifying conclusion. Scary Stories even though for the most part is a horror film about teenagers being hunted by ghouls and monsters continues the genre's traditions of allegory. The monsters aren't terrifying just because of their designs but because of what they represent to each character and the audience. The theme of a changing America is present throughout the film with continuous references to the war in Vietnam and the imminent Presidential election that led to Richard Nixon's infamous Presidency. Two long-running issues that corrupted American spirit in the 1970s are seen to begin taking hold of what is visually the "perfect American town" but already the facade has broken. Stella lives in a broken home with her depressed father years after her mother abandoned them, Ramon is a drifter through town facing racism and harassment, Auggie's parents are divorced, this perfect Americana never existed and the monsters are just reminders that the cruelty of reality can never be hidden away.
The best asset of the film is the design and execution of the monsters brought to life through Sarah Bellow's cursed book. The majority are practical, with puppetry and prosthetics taking priority over computer animation but the design of each creature taps into the fear centre of our brains in different ways. From the deviance of recognisable imagery such as the Scarecrow to disturbing new creations like the Pale Lady, it gives Scary Stories its unique visual style. The monsters also compliment the atmosphere of the film as Øvredal's direction and Roman Osin's cinematography utilise environment, light and colour to create this haunted town. Even without the monsters, the location of the film is striking and allow the audience to be immersed so when Øvredal and Osin make a change it becomes far more unnerving. Like most modern horror films, the payoffs to a lot the terror comes in the form of jump scares and while the building of dread is great and Øvredal knows the perfect moment to strike it's actually when he goes in the opposite direction that the film is most terrifying. A monster doesn't need to jump out of the dark and scream for the audience to be unnerved when the most frightening sequence of the film is just the Pale Lady walking down a hallway bathed in red light. Øvredal gives Scary Stories a variety in horror, not relying on one trick and playing again and again but finding new ways for Bellow's minions to torment the characters and audience.
It's a film confident in its horror and the variety in which it presents itself, with a fun cast and a rewarding ending Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is an experience that doesn't disappoint. Creative where it counts and classic when it needs to be, Øvredal doesn't allow the film to fall into traps that would hinder its messaging or undercut its terror. With a simple story as its basis for the larger themes, Scary Stories does have the potential for further instalments as the performers and monsters make for engaging horror and drama.
Director: #AndréØvredal
Cast: #ZoeColletti, #MichaelGarza, #GabrielRush, #AustinZajur, #NatalieGanzhorn, #AustinAbrams, #DeanNorris, #GilBellows, #LorraineToussaint
Release Date: August 23rd 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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