Scary Stories

Like many I grew up with these stories. The collection of folklore by Schwartz were a bizarre assortment that played to my morbid sense of humor. The illustrations by Stephen Gammell were a ripe slice of insanity.

The documentary is a mix of the controversy surrounding the books, the private lives of Gammell and Schwartz, and a tribute to both men and the influence they had over generations of academics and artists.

With the upcoming film, this doc is a nice prep for what producer Guillermo Del Toro will unleash in a matter of weeks.

This was a documentary that I debated going to see a few years ago when it came to the Gateway Film Center. This would have been in 2019 or around there. The title caught my attention and when I looked into it, I realized it was about the series of books that I used to read growing up. When I saw this streaming on Tubi, I decided to put this on late in my work day, treating it like a podcast. I listened to this, looking down to see if something was particularly interesting.

What this does well is helping us get to know the author, Alvin Schwartz. He had passed away so he wasn't available, which is a bummer. What I liked here though is that they interviewed his son, Peter. It sounds like they were estranged for a good stretch. This almost seems like a cathartic thing, helping him connect better with his father's lasting legacy.

Something else that I like is that this explores both sides of its impact. There is one side asking people who have been influenced to make their own art. Whether that is songs influenced, sculptures, paintings or even tattoos. There's another side though, parents wanted these books removed from libraries. They focus on one lady, who was part of the PTA, who was leading the charge in I believe Seattle. She actually participates quite a bit in this, going as far as meeting Peter. That felt a bit odd, I'll admit, especially since I don't think she ever got her lasting question resolved.

I'm not in favor of banning things. My parents took the stance that they'd police what I watched. They didn't keep most stuff from me, knowing that if they did, I'd more than likely find a way to watch it. I can see why they wanted to ban these books. Many didn't even want it outright, just not in elementary school libraries. There was a heartfelt moment where a father, whose daughter read these, was excited that she showed interest in the books. There is something to be said about finding something that interests and inspires.

I'll then end by saying that I thought this was made well enough. I can see the argument that it is a bit all over the place. It tries to jump between subjects instead of fleshing one aspect out before going to the next. That does work a bit better when dealing with a fictional narrative. It wasn't as bad listening to this while working, I'll admit that. For me, learning more about the books, their lasting legacy and their cultural impact was enough for me.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

I grew up a big fan of these books and was excited to see this documentary available on demand. This was much for informative about the books and author than I anticipated. It also presents a good contrast of viewpoints of how the books can be perceived by the public. I highly recommend for fans of the books and (soon-to-Be) fans of the 2019 film.

Comprised of several interviews (including R.L. Stine), old news footage, and archived audio interviews of the late author Alvin Schwartz, Scary Stories is a wonderful, nostalgic, and immersive telling of the storied history of the classic children books. Loaded with interesting facts and information, it's fun watching former teachers and librarians or kids at the time look back discussing the book and actually look at them again for the first time. Part of the fun brilliance of the documentary is the illustrated recreated scenes drawn in the style of the famed artwork in the books as people tell their stories and memories of the books. Another thing the film does very well is explore and explain the subtle genius behind the seemingly simplistic writing style. It looks at the historical and cultural significance of several stories and the lessons they teach and the cultural and regional context in which they are told. There is a very compelling segment in the film showing footage from the time of parents and people making the case to ban a book. It's fascinating to watch and the topic is thoroughly explored and given proper time to look at both sides of the argument. Scary Stories is extremely well done and I would definitely recommend it to anybody, but it is especially recommended to anyone with fond memories of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books.

I've been following this documentary over the years, hoping year after year I'd be able to watch it. Finally I was able to view it on Amazon Video and it was incredible! The production value and amount of effort really showed, and as a huge fan of the book series, I'm happy to say all the interviews gave me even more insight to the Scary Stories series.