Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- foreboding
- suspenseful
- halloween night
- teen movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found it an agreeable, creepy gateway horror for younger genre fans, praising its creature scares while noting uneven plotting and limited character development.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sarah Bellows's book contains scary stories that begin affecting the teenagers who discover it.
The story is set in 1968 America, with racial prejudice and broader national unrest surrounding the isolated town.
Stella, Ramón, Auggie, and their peers must cooperate after the Bellows stories begin targeting them.
The scarecrow and other story-born entities provide the film's most prominent visual and horror set pieces.
Films like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and why
The Conjuring
shares teen protagonists, small-town supernatural horror, haunted locations, and accessible scares
It
shares coming-of-age horror, youthful friendship, supernatural threats, and a nostalgic period setting
The Monster Squad
shares adolescent outsiders confronting folklore-driven monsters in a stylized small town
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
shares episodic ghost stories, literary horror, and a creepy supernatural book motif
Movie Details
- Director
- André Øvredal
- Release Date
- 2019-08-08
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (2939)
Cast
- Zoe Colletti
- Dean Norris
- Michael Garza
- Gabriel Rush
- Gil Bellows
- Natalie Ganzhorn
- Austin Abrams
- Austin Zajur
- Kathleen Pollard
- Lorraine Toussaint
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark about?
- A group of Mill Valley teenagers must confront a haunted book whose terrifying stories begin turning their town's buried secrets into living nightmares.
- What is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as moderate.
- What did critics think of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
- Critics generally found it an agreeable, creepy gateway horror for younger genre fans, praising its creature scares while noting uneven plotting and limited character development.
- Which films are like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
- Films with a similar feel include The Conjuring, It, The Monster Squad, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
- How long is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
- In United States, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark streams on Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
