FILM REVIEW: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

SCARY Stories to Tell in the Darkโ€™ is billed as a family, kid-friendly horror along the same lines asโ€™ย Goosebumpsโ€™ and โ€˜The House with a Clock in Its Wallsโ€™.

But that isn’t the case.

This movie is definitely not meant for a pre-teen audience. There are one or two genuinely creepy moments that would leave your precious nippers sleeping with the lights on until they finish college.

If anything, Guillermo del Toro and Andrรฉ Ovredaโ€™s adaptation of Alvin Schwartโ€™s spooky collection of short stories seems to be more aimed at pubescent fans of โ€˜Stranger Thingsโ€™.

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I have to admit I donโ€™t know the first thing about the books, but โ€˜Scary Storiesโ€™ feels more like a pale attempt at capturing the ghoulish malevolence of Stephen Kingโ€™s โ€˜Itโ€™ or possibly even โ€˜Creepshowโ€™.

The best horror flicks always use humour as a powerful weapon to lull its audience into a false sense of security. However, this movie is light on laughs, and even the spills and thrills are few and far between. As far as pesky teen adventures go, this is a far cry from โ€˜The Gooniesโ€™ on every front.

Despite the fact there is a couple of hair-raising moments, these come across as over stylised and hackneyed interpretations of scenes weโ€™ve already seen in classic movies such as โ€˜The Shiningโ€™ or โ€˜Children of the Cornโ€™.

For a young audience coming to horror for the first time, this isnโ€™t a bad place to start, but for anyone with a real appreciation of the genre this might feel rather dull and unoriginal.

(2/5)

ODEON Limerick is this week giving away one pair of tickets and two large combo meals for a film of your choice at their cinema at the Castletroy Shopping Centre.

To be in with a chance answer the following question and email your answer toย [email protected]ย by 9am on Monday September 2.

Who wrote the ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ short stories collection?

A. JK Rowling

B. Beatrix Potter

C. Alvin Schwartz