Looking to escape the heat this weekend? Pop on over to your favorite local theater to watch the chilling flick Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Adapted from the 1980’s trilogy by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell, the film embeds the scary stories into one long narrative. Set in the late 60s, the film follows four teenagers around small town USA as they look to spook their new friend by taking him to the local haunted house of the late Bellows family.

In the late 1800’s the Bellows were rumored to have locked their youngest child away to isolation. Local children would come to the house to hear her scary stories told through the walls and some of those children ended up missing.  Almost 100 years later the teenagers find her book of scary stories and are horrified to learn they are characters outlined in new entries of the book. Their tales are written in blood in the days following their visit to the haunted mansion. Will they survive the fate of being in the new short stories?

The film does a good job of mixing campy story telling with frightful scenes. Exceptionally welcoming were the “new” horrors in the film. You won’t find any recycled clown scares or killers with masks on. This film was truly inventive and fun to watch.  Check it out and let us know if you think so too.