The SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK Film Will Be Helmed By The Director of TROLLHUNTERS
Guillermo del Toro was originally in the running to direct the feature film adaptation of the classic horror book anthology series Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. According to Deadline, he has removed himself from the project and CBS Films has hired director André Øvredal to develop the film. The Norwegian filmmaker is best known for making The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Trollhunter.
Both of those films are great, so I actually like the idea of Øvredal taking on Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark! I think he's a great choice and I'm excited to see him bring this story to life.
The trilogy of books that the film is based on was written by Alvin Schwartz, and I'll never forget those iconic haunting illustrations created by Stephen Gammell. These books played a huge part of my childhood. My brothers and I loved the hell out of them.
The most recent draft of the script was written by Kevin Hageman and Dan Hageman (The Lego Movie). The movie is said to follow "a group of young teens who must solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town." There's not much more information on what the film will entail beyond that, but here's a description of the books:
This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz’s popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright. There is a story here for everyone — skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney. Stephen Gammell’s splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories — and even scary songs — all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark. If You Dare!
If done right, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark should be an insanely terrifying film. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Production will begin next summer and Del Toro is still attached as a producer.
What was your favorite story from the horror book series? Do you think André Øvredal is the right director to take on the project?