Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books vs. movie comparison

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a book collection that consists of short horror tales compiled together. These horror stories might just make you believe that actual danger and horror exist in real life and lies right next door. A film has also been produced based on this book, and this suits those who hate reading books but enjoy watching movies.

For a number of generations and decades, Stephen Gammell and Alvin Schwartz’s short horror storybooks have held a special place in story tellers' fantasy idea generation and visualization. The movie from the same books was released early August. This can make any horror fan wonder, "Is the film more scary than the books?"

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books

American horror movie Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a 2019 movie based on books which go by the same title. The books are a series collection of three horror storybooks for children which were initially written by the famous Alvin Schwartz and later illustrated by Stephen Gammell. The three top Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books combined in this collection are: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark published initially in 1981 with a total of 128 pages and 29 short stories which include among them; The Big Toe, The Haunted House, The Dead Man's Brains, Old Woman All Skin and Bones, and May I Carry Your Basket? among others.

The second book is More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark which was published in 1984 with a total of 112 pages and 28 short stories which include; A Weird Blue Light, Cemetery Soup, The Bed by the Window, Wonderful Sausage, and The Cat in The Shopping Bag among others.

The final book goes by the title Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones published in 1991 with 128 pages and 25 short horror stories which include; Footsteps, The Wolf Girl, Sam's New Pet, Is Something Wrong? and You May Be the Next among others.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark(film)

Andre Ovredal directed the film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark based on Alvin Schwartz's original work. Kevin and Dan Hageman adopted its screenplay from the screen story by renown producers Guillermo del Toro, Marcus Dunstan, and Patrick Melton. This film is one of the co-productions of Canada and United States stars such as Michael Garza, Austin Abrams, Zoe Colletti, Dean Norris, Gabriel Rush, Lorraine Toussaint, and Gil Bellows among others. In the year 2013, CBS Films had acquired the production rights to the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books with the sole intention of producing the film as a feature film.

In 2014, famous writer John August was given the role of penning down the film version of the book. With all the agreements done and the cast members selected, filming then commenced in August 2018 and ended in November the same year in Ontario, Canada. The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark release date was on August 9th, 2019. It has, since its release, received many comments, both positive and negative from its audience. The total cost incurred in the film's production is around $28 million.

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trailer

The first footage of the movie featured on the 2019 Super Bowl. Later, the first trailer was released in March 2019 and a second one followed closely in June 2019. Later on, August 5th, 2019, Lionsgate released the official trailer of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark film. The trailer featured a cover version of the Donovan song titled Season of the Witch by Lana Del Rey.

The whole movie is just about 1 hour and 47 minutes. However, its short trailer is enough to send chills down your spine. This film revolves around the Bellow family which has been present in the small town of Mill Valley over many years. It is in one of the mansions here that a young character by the name Sarah Bellows turns her horrifying secrets and tortured life into an unending series of scary tales. Sarah's horror stories later become all real for a group of curious but unsuspecting teens who come across Sarah Bellow's spooky home.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark art

One Stephen Gammell did the original artwork and illustration in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books. The reason behind Gammell's inspiration in doing his pictures is, however, not apparent. However, it is with no doubt that anyone who came across the books in the early years had sleepless nights not because of the stories but because of the illustrations by Stephen Gammell. Less horrific drawings by Brett Helquist later replaced the horrific pictures by Gammell. This change was brought about by the 2011 re-release of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books by Harper Collins, where he incorporated the new art by Helquist.

Helquist replaced the disturbing and haunting drawings of ghosts and crumbling corpses with more child-friendly and less evocative paintings. They aimed to make the books more kid-friendly, but their plan backfired after some of the critics termed the new illustrations as annoying and somehow disrespectful. Haper Collins later restored Gammell's original work in 2017. Artwork and drawings in a horror book are meant to capture the attention of the readers, scare them, and even keep the book in their memory for years. The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark illustrations do this perfectly.

Since its release, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 2019 has received much controversy from its audience. Those against the books and the film base their complaints around the disturbing subject matter of its content, violence, and potential unsuitability for its young readers. Critics have regarded Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark content which revolves around cannibalism, ghost works, murder, and deformity as disturbing and repulsive for young readers.

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The illustrations and artwork by Gammell have also been significant points of criticism since they act as the major triggers of nightmares among the books' audience. Audience in support of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark say that the books targets middle school kids who can understand and comprehend what the stories entail. They also argue that it is meant to help them gain courage in facing what they are afraid of; that is, it helps them fight their fears.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books and movie comparison

The original book series written by Alvin Schwartz has been traumatizing and terrifying among kids for decades but the movie itself seems to be less scary. The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark movie does not scare away the present-day generation as was the sole purpose of the original book series. This difference brings about much controversy especially from fans of the books.

Most of the stories in the books have a plot that leaves the readers to decide on their own the horror fate that befalls the cast. However, the movie tries to bring together stories with a similar plot and tries to end them on a somehow resolved note. Therefore, the movie tends to be more satisfying to the audience than the books

If you have not had a look at the books, hurry up and get a copy for yourself and your loved ones. You may also download the movie from legal sites. Watching the movie and reading the books will help you have your own experience and share your views with the rest of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark fans. Read, watch and be sure to thank me later!

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Source: Legit.ng

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