It was recently announced that the upcoming movie based on the popular children’s book Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will be released on August 9, 2019. The movie is being directed by acclaimed filmmaker André Øvredal, who is responsible for such titles as Trollhunter and The Autopsy of Jane Doe . Guillermo del Toro ( The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth ) is attached as the movie’s producer.
According to a report by Dread Central , Fangoria magazine recently shared a tweet of the first shot from behind the scenes of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark , which is currently still in production. Fangoria tweeted a photo of a looming mansion cloaked in the shadow of the night as filmmakers and crew members work on set.
The exclusive photo is the first peek fans of the popular literary franchise have gotten for the upcoming film adaptation, with a plot centered around a group of children trying to solve a sinister mystery in their hometown.
“Inspired by one of the most terrifying children’s book series of all time, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark follows a group of young teens who must solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town.”
The original three books were anthologies of horror tales written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Book 1 in the series was simply titled Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark . It spawned two sequels including More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones . Fan-favorite stories contained within the series include “The Big Toe,” “The Hook,” “The Little Black Dog,” “The Bed By the Window,” and “Harold.”
Digging the atmosphere in this photo from @Fandango from the set of SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK! pic.twitter.com/cUrik9bF10
— FANGORIA (@FANGORIA) December 28, 2018
So far, filmmakers have not divulged which—if any—stories they plan to reference or include in the upcoming film adaptation.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and its following sequels caused quite a bit of controversy over the years. For approximately two decades, the original book topped the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books. Parents wanted the book removed from schools and libraries, citing its stories and artwork as too disturbing for children.
Despite parental concerns, all three books remained in most school libraries and have been called instrumental in getting children more interested in reading.
As to whether or not the upcoming film adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will cause similar controversy remains to be seen, but parents may want to thumb through the original books as a point of reference before taking their young children to see the film in theaters this Summer.
