Guillermo del Toro and Andre Overdal are here to help bring the scary this Halloween season. Their movie, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, is set to be re-released on more than 1,500 screens in North America this weekend. The movie comes as CBS Films and Lionsgate look to fill a relative void for horror-loving audiences this Halloween. Ovredal took to Twitter to make the announcement. Here’s what he had to say.
“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is back in over 1500 theatres all over North America this weekend and through Halloween! Bring the family, it’s PG-13 scary.”
This year, there simply aren’t that many mainstream horror options for moviegoers to choose from at the box office for Halloween. Countdown is hitting theaters this weekend from STX and The Gallows: Act II is getting a relatively limited theatrical release, to go along with its day-and-date digital release. There’s also the more comedic Zombieland: Double Tap and the family-friendly animated The Addams Family. But there’s nothing huge like Michael Myers’ return in Halloween last year. As such, the move to re-release Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark makes a great deal of sense.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is an adaptation of author Alvin Schwartz’s beloved series of books. Schwartz wrote a trilogy, which includes Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones. The books were initially published between 1981 and 1991 and contain more than 25 horror stories combined. Schwartz painstakingly researched each back, as many of the tales were based on real-life folklore and urban legends. To date, the titles have sold more than seven million copies worldwide and gained a reputation as controversial, since many schools banned them due to their content.
Directed by Andre Ovredal (Troll Hunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) and produced by Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim, The Shape of Water) Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark centers on the town of Mill Valley, circa 1968. The shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large over the town for generations. The young Sarah Bellows turned tortured life and terrible secrets into a series of legendary scary stories. These tales soon become far too real for a group of unsuspecting teenage Mill Valley residents.
Related: Why Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Isn’t a Traditional Horror Anthology
The movie was received quite favorably by critics and audiences alike, currently boasting a $79 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also did quite well at the box office, raking in just shy of $95 million to date. Maybe this re-release could help give it a little extra juice to get over the $100 million mark? For those who want to watch it at home, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is available on Digital HD now, with the Blu-ray/DVD and 4K Ultra HD release set for November 5 from Lionsgate.
SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK is back in over 1500 THEATRES all over North America this weekend and through Halloween!
Bring the family – it’s PG-13 scary 😉https://t.co/OUX4H8KrD8
— Andre Ovredal (@Filmtroll) October 23, 2019
