We’re still a few months out from Guillermo Del Toro’s hotly-anticipated adaptation of classic book series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but in the meantime there’s a spooky, full-length trailer to whet our appetites. Time to retreat under the covers, y’all.
The original kids’ horror stories, from Alvin Schwartz, were published from 1981-1991. There were three collections total, inspired by a variety of older folk tales and urban legends, featuring all manner of monsters, ghoulies, and vengeful spirits.
Maestro GDT was brought on for the film adaptation a few years back. He’s serving as producer on the project as well as scripting the flick, while André Øvredal (the brilliant Autopsy of Jane Doe) is at the helm. Previous teaser trailers invoked some of Schwartz’s most infamous tales, including the ghastly “Big Toe.”
This latest full-length trailer, ominously scored to “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” references “The Red Spot” and the Pale Lady character from the books, among others. The Pale Lady also features in a brand-new character poster, which you can check out above.
The flick takes place in the late sixties, in a small town called Mill Valley. It follows a group of teens investigating the mystery of a young girl who perished years earlier, leaving behind her haunted journals that, it soon becomes clear, have an evil life of their own. Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Zajur, Gabriel Rush, Dean Norris, Austin Abrams, Gil Bellows, Lorraine Toussaint, and Natalie Ganzhorn are all slated to appear.
The original stories were disconnected, but Del Toro’s adaptation seems to tie them all together. This latest trailer showcases the inventive, childlike creepiness so beloved of the horror auteur, so fans of the series should be suitably excited.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark drops in theaters on August 9, 2019. Stay tuned to the site for more info as the date draws closer.
