Full disclosure, I did not grow up with the stories this film is based off of. I do enjoy short story horror, but have yet to read these works. With that in mind, I still feel this is a film worth discussing.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is the first horror movie in a while to actually get my blood pumping, the most recent prior being IT Chapter 1, whose sequel is mere weeks away. The pacing and effect of several of the books effectively created an amazing sense of dread, often with no true giveaways about where the scares would come from. Probably the best example of this was in Augie's attack (Big Toe Stew), where initial build up makes you believe the scare will be quick, but rather turns into a long, slow build to a rather effective jump scare. What made this scene especially good is that they chose to show the corpse before the actual scare, allowing the extremely-creepy character design to actually make you fear for the character's life.
However, not all scares were this effective. The lamest by far was Chuck's, where a smiley blob-like creature is closing in from all sides. While the design is effectively creepy, the scene drags way to long, and has a very anti-climactic conclusion, almost looking like a cheap YouTube video, ruining the tension built up during the actual scene.
Overall, the acting in the film is very compelling, especially from Stella, played by Zoe Margaret Colletti. Her emotion and reactions feel fairly genuine, rather than the cheesy, excessive panic often seen in horror movies. It actually is a believable, and rather well-developed protagonist for a horror movie, and definitely stands out from several others in the cast, such as Tommy, the local 2-dimensional bully used solely to create a good scare without killing a major character.
Once again, Del Toro has helped to create a surreal experience with remarkable character designs and impressive visuals. Even the slow or less impressive scenes in this film are shot at intriguing angles and framing that help keep interest. And these angles continue into the more intense scenes, adding even more compelling tension.
As a film based on a collection of short stories, rather than one main book, the film creates a decent enough narrative to keep you in your seat, but really isn't anything overly special or creative in the narrative sense. The final act, while visually interesting, had some prospective twists and turns that ultimately just lead to a basic narrative conclusion and happy ending (Giving Sarah closure rather than having a time-shifting twist where Stella became Sarah Bellows, continuing the loop for all time). While the film ends with hints at a possible sequel, I'm not sure the story needs, or really deserves it.
If you like to be scared in a variety of ways, rather than just one monster, than this is one film worth checking out.
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