The 'Scary Stories' book series was a big deal during my youth as I and my friends would frequently tell the various tales in the schoolyard, during sleepovers, and especially during Halloween. While the film adaptation is here a little too early, it lived up to my expectations and provides that classic horror feeling of the old days and does its source material proud. Rather than an anthology film, 'Scary Stories' takes its direction from 2015's 'Goosebumps' film and incorporates the various iconic stories into one narrative. The film's plot is classic as much as its a bit typical, as a group of teenagers enter an old haunted house (on Halloween no less) and discover a sinister book possessed by the spirit of the town outcast Sarah Bellows. The vengeful spirit begins to write various stories, which all of course come to life and take the teens one by one. While pretty cliche, 'Scary Stories' has a youthful energy to it that feels like you're sitting around a campfire listening to these tales and picturing them in your mind's eye. This is a classic style horror one would find in with the Universal Monsters series and is a nice change from the more grim and gore filled flicks of today.
That's not to say the film doesn't contain any horrific or gruesome moments. For a PG-13 film, it pushes a lot of limits providing some gruesome creatures and death scenes along with some surprisingly strong language and a darker tone. You even have unintentional cannibalism at one point so 'Goosebumps' this is not and parents may be a bit more cautious when considering letting the kids go. It goes to show that PG-13 horror can work when given the proper elements and people attached. Guillermo Del Toro and André Øvredal bring the book's illustrations to life with shocking accuracy in how they look and how one imagined they moved. They even bring an original creation to the table with the freakish 'Jangly Man' who you won't believe was a real actor in makeup. I love that the film overall uses very little digital effects unless necessary such as with ghostly creatures or creature movement in some scenes. Practical effects cannot be beat and this is a great example of what is sadly becoming a dying art.
Where the film surprises is in its cast who are very likeable and developed well despite the film's overall simplicity. Some provide the proper tension, comedy, and emotion without overacting as one would expect in a horror film. They're not performing Shakespeare or anything but I would consider it above average to pretty good for the most part. Marco Beltrami who provided the scores to many horror films, including the 'Scream' franchise does very well here. He implements a musical tune from the first book which is both creepy and fun for those who recognize the tune. It's a very atmospheric and eerie soundtrack that compliments the film well. The film's main downside comes from its climax, which feels rushed and doesn't give complete closure. Whether the film decided to leave loose ends in order to create a sequel or to end the film with a bittersweet tone is unknown but it feels a little sloppy when the rest of the film is so well strung together.
The 'Scary Stories' books provide classic scares and silly fun and the film does exactly the same. It doesn't provide anything new to the genre, but what it does it does very well. I highly recommend it to those who grew up with the stories as kids but I'm worried more modern kids will expect more from it. It was a nice surprise to get a really good horror flick in a year that seems scarce. Would I put it in a best of horror list? Not likely, but will I see it again? Will I buy it on Blu-Ray? Yes. It's a new Halloween tradition just waiting to happen.
A-
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