Guillermo del Toro's SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK will be an “Amblin-esque” Family Horror Film
Earlier this week we were treated to a second wonderfully creepy trailer for producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal‘s film adaptation of the horror book series, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.
I’ve liked what I’ve seen from this movie so far. It looks like it does a fantastic job honoring the stories and creepy-ass art style of the books. Those books are disturbing as hell! If you’ve read the stories, then you know what I’m talking about. I love those books, though. I grew up with them. Those books were my gateway drug to the dark and twisted and led me down the path of finding more stories like them.
Del Toro and Øvredal recently showed off some clips from the film and talked about it during a Q&A panel. During that presentation they explained that the movie is an “Amblin-esque” family horror film. It may be aimed at younger audiences, but one thing they didn’t want to do is water down the horror. They want the parents to enjoy it and be freaked out as well.
Del Toro went into a deep discussion about childhood, growing up, kids being shielded from the darkness of the world, and how showing and talking about the tragedies of horror to them are important. He even references his own childhood:
"The most dangerous time is your childhood. It's a golden time? Not for me man. I was like in Shawshank, I was in a Jesuit school and it was like a prison, I had to fight in the yard and this and that. A lot of movies simplify kids and make them cute, like skateboarding dudes that say one-liners, and never get killed. In my movie's kids do die. They are more frail but at the same time more complex and they see the darkness, and that extends to this movie."
Del Toro also referenced the work of Stephen King, specifically Stand By Me, and explained why it is important to share the horror genre with kids:
"I think that the tragedy of horror is to not have your parents talk to you about it. It's great for kids to see these stories and share them with their parents. When you're a kid you're curious about two things, sex and death. The rest you can figure out in a manual. Both are infinite mysteries when you're young, and a lot of parents shy away from those two things."
Yeah, I agree with that. As a parent it’s not easy to talk to your kids about that stuff, but it’s also something that we shouldn’t shy away from. He goes on to say:
"We live in the real world. When we live in a great world where everything is great, then we can avoid things. But I think we live in a real world and knowing the darkness is part of the structure of knowing the light, and I would you can share this with your kids if you talk about it after. It's something to bond over.”
"The only thing you experience as a kid is that the world is constantly telling you about everything great. In shampoo commercials, in yogurt commercials, in car commercials, in movies where people look like nobody you know. Horror movies tell you there is a dark side, don't worry, and you may find a little solace in that fact. And I think that's very important."
Well, my kids are excited to see this movie! They love horror films and this is one that I can’t wait to take them to see! It looks like it’s going to be a fun and creepy ride!
The cast of the film includes Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza (Wayward Pines), Austin Abrams (Brad’s Status), Gabriel Rush (Moonrise Kingdom), Austin Zajur (Brad’s Status), and Natalie Ganzhorn (Make it Pop).
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark will be released in theaters on August 9th.
Source: Games Radar