Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Dvd

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a 2019 horror film directed by André Øvredal, based on the children’s book series of the same name by Alvin Schwartz. The screenplay was adapted by Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman, from a screen story by producer Guillermo del Toro, as well as Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. The film, an international co-production of the United States and Canada, stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur, Natalie Ganzhorn, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, and Lorraine Toussaint.

In 2013, CBS Films acquired the rights to the book series from 1212 Entertainment with the intent of producing it as a feature film. By January 2016 it was announced that del Toro would develop and potentially direct the project for CBS Films. Øvredal was later to set to direct the film, with del Toro, Daniel, Brown, and Grave being among the producers. Principal photography commenced on August 27, 2018, and ended on November 1, 2018, in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was theatrically released on August 9, 2019, by Lionsgate. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed a worldwide total of $105 million against a production budget of around $28 million.

Plot

On Halloween, 1968, in the small town of Mill Valley, Pennsylvania, three teen friends, Stella, Auggie, and Chuck, prank bully Tommy Milner. When Tommy and his gang chase them in retaliation, the trio flees to a drive-in movie theater, where a young drifter named Ramón hides them in his car. They invite Ramón to explore a local “haunted house” that once belonged to the wealthy Bellows family, who helped found Mill Valley. Inside, they find a book of horror stories written by Sarah Bellows, who allegedly committed suicide in the house. Having followed the group, Tommy locks them inside along with Ruth, Chuck’s sister. They escape, and Stella takes Sarah’s book.

Stella discovers a new story, entitled “Harold”, being written in Sarah’s book. Meanwhile, in reality, an inebriated Tommy is stalked by the titular Harold, his family’s scarecrow, after it comes to life. The creature stabs him with a pitchfork, causing Tommy to vomit hay and undergo a violent transformation. Tommy is later reported missing; Stella and Ramón find Harold dressed in Tommy’s clothes. Though Stella is convinced that Tommy has been turned into a scarecrow, the others are skeptical.

That night, a new story, “The Big Toe”, appears with Auggie as the main character. The pair attempt to warn him about the monster: a zombie searching for its missing toe, which is inside a stew that Auggie unwittingly eats. Auggie disappears after the zombie drags him under his bed. Realizing they are next, the remaining friends attempt to destroy the book; when this proves impossible, they research Sarah’s life in hopes of finding a solution. A new story, “The Red Spot”, is written. When Ruth discovers a swollen spider bite on her cheek, it explodes and releases hundreds of tiny spiders. Ruth is rescued but is traumatized and placed in a mental institution.

The group’s investigation takes them to a local hospital, where they discover that Sarah’s brother performed electroshock therapy on her as part of a cover-up operation. The family’s mill had been poisoning the town’s water with mercury, and Sarah was tortured by her family for trying to reveal the truth, and blamed for the deed. At the hospital, Chuck is attacked by the Pale Lady, a phantom from his recurring nightmares, who absorbs him. Stella and Ramón are arrested for trespassing by Police Chief Turner, who reveals that Ramón is a Vietnam War draft dodger. Ramón reveals to Stella that it was out of fear after his brother enlisted and his dead body was returned to them in pieces. Turner’s dog begins to act strangely, and Ramón realizes that the next creature will be the Jangly Man, a monster from a campfire story that frightened him as a child. The Jangly Man kills Turner before attempting to kill Ramón. Ramón and Stella escape, and he lures the creature away while Stella goes to the Bellows house to put an end to Sarah’s actions.

Stella is taken back in time, living out part of Sarah’s experience of the torture her family put her through. She promises Sarah’s ghost that she will tell the real story of Sarah’s life and the truth of her innocence if she stops harming people with her stories. Sarah forces her to write down the true story in blood before she and the Jangly Man vanish. Stella writes the truth about Sarah’s life in the papers to the town keeping her promise. Ramón accepts his enlistment and shares an emotional goodbye with Stella before he leaves for the war. Stella drives away with her father and a recovered Ruth, and states that she will find a way to rescue Chuck and Auggie as the film ends.

Cast

The Kids
Zoe Colletti as Stella Nicholls
Michael Garza as Ramón Morales
Gabriel Rush as August “Auggie” Hilderbrandt
Austin Zajur as Charlie “Chuck” Steinberg
Natalie Ganzhorn as Ruth “Ruthie” Steinberg
Austin Abrams as Tommy Milner
Mill Valley Townspeople
Dean Norris as Roy Nicholls
Gil Bellows as Police Chief Turner
Lorraine Toussaint as Louise “Lou Lou” Baptiste
Ajanae Stephenson as Young Louise Baptiste
Marie Ward as Mrs. Hilderbrandt
Deborah Pollitt as Mrs. Steinberg
Matt Smith as Mr. Steinberg
Karen Glave as Claire Baptiste
Kyle Labine as Deputy Hobbs
Victoria Fodor as Mrs. Milner
The Monsters
Javier Botet as Big Toe Corpse
Troy James as Jangly Man
Andrew Jackson as the voice of the Jangly Man
Mark Steger as Harold the Scarecrow and the Pale Lady
The Bellows Family
Kathleen Pollard as Sarah Bellows
Will Carr as Dr. Ephraim Bellows
Elias Edraki as the voice of Dr. Ephraim Bellows
Jane Moffat as Delanie Bellows
Amanda Smith as Gertrude Bellows
Brandon Knox as Harold Bellows
Hume Baugh as Deodat Bellows