Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is the type of book that has most certainly made its impact. At the same time, it's also virtually impossible to adapt directly since it's a collection of short stories. While it would possibly work as an anthology horror, the movie takes a different direction and makes its own story that incorporates characters from the book's stories as villains. With horror maestro Guillermo del Toro as producer, it captures the essence of the book, which is good enough. All things considered, this is really more of an ode to horror as a genre, and to the things that scared us as kids. It incorporates several horror subgenres, which was a great addition. It has ghosts, zombies, body horror, and a monster sequence near the end. Popular characters from the book's terrifying illustrations appear, and they look fantastic. It has a great feel to it, and Del Toro's fingerprints are apparent in it. Unfortunately, it has some drawbacks. The main human cast is bland and forgettable. There's nothing here that you've never seen before. Overall, this is the type of movie that would be great if you're a kid and it's your first horror movie. However, if you were in elementary school when SSTTITD was at its peak, you'd be in your 30s at least in 2019 when this movie came out. Today's kids probably haven't heard of it (although who knows, I knew it growing up in the 00's). It ends on a sequel hook, curiously enough, so that may be on the horizon.
