“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (Lionsgate)Ĭlassic horror motifs are given fresh life in this fun chiller, set in 1968 Pennsylvania, about a teenage aspiring writer (Zoe Colletti) who, together with her two best pals (Gabriel Rush and Austin Zajur) and a stranger (Michael Garza) the trio have just befriended, pay a Halloween-night visit to a haunted house from which she purloins a tome that turns out to be capable of unleashing mayhem. Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 - parents strongly cautioned. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III - adults. The film contains brief moments of harsh but bloodless violence, sexual references, a scatological theme, a few uses of profanity, a handful of milder oaths and occasional crude language. Still, this is an old-fashioned undertaking in the best sense, a lightweight, self-aware piece of moviemaking that grins at its own Gothic tropes. And the occasional cuss word crops up every so often to put this outside the category of family fare. His approach is so restrained, moreover, that when one victim is stabbed by a pitchfork, virtually no gore is visible.īut the nature of the nasty tricks Stella and company play on Tommy - their preliminaries take place in Chuck’s bathroom - make them less than a treat. Instead, director Andre Ovredal presides over a spirited, often funny collection of eerie urban legends come to life. Some less-than-subtle retrospective commentary on the social turbulence of the time, by contrast, may not win the assent of everyone in the audience.ĭigging up the controversies of a bygone era is not the principal agenda here, though. The script implicitly contrasts the welcome Ramon receives from his newfound buddies with the prejudiced hostility shown him by Tommy and by Officer Turner (Gil Bellows), the small town’s police chief.
#Stories to tell in the dark series#
In adapting a series of books by Alvin Schwartz, screenwriters and brothers Dan and Kevin Hageman throw in the ghost of a troubled girl from the turn of the last century for good measure.
Each tale is based on a narrative or a dream that has troubled the targeted individual in the past and plays on that person’s worst fears. There, Stella purloins a tome that turns out to be capable of unleashing mayhem.Īs Stella and Ramon fall for each other, each character is imperiled in turn when a story about him or her is magically added to the stolen volume. Promptly befriending the out-of-towner, the amigos decide to give him a thrill by way of a visit to the local haunted house. When Tommy gives chase, baseball bat in hand, the trio seeks refuge at the local drive-in where they wind up in the car of just-passing-through stranger Ramon (Michael Garza). Together with her two best pals, Auggie (Gabriel Rush) and Chuck (Austin Zajur), Stella starts Halloween night off by seeking gross-out revenge on local bully Tommy (Austin Abrams). Set in 1968 Pennsylvania, the proceedings revolve around teenage aspiring writer Stella (Zoe Colletti). However, while the film is essentially a bloodless affair, other elements make it best for grownups. NEW YORK (CNS) - Classic horror motifs are given fresh life in the fun chiller “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (Lionsgate).
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