Scary stories to tell in the dark – Goosebumps for grown ups
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - Goosebumps for grownups. Movie Rating 7 out of 10 Family Rating - Scary creatures, suspenseful scenes with jump scares, schoolyard swearing, gruesome endings. The problem with a lot of films advertised as 'horror' is that they can't maintain the suspense for the entire length of the movie. Many stories begin with a good idea but either go way off track or finish with a whimper or without making sense. 'Scary Stories....' is not one of them. Targeted to a young adult audience, the movie focusses on a group of nerdy school friends who take Halloween to a new level by pursuing an urban legend at their local haunted house. The story goes that a young girl was imprisoned by her rich family in a mansion and treated very badly. While locked inside, neighbourhood children would come to the walls of the house and listen as she told scary stories to them. The legend goes that those who listened to her stories were never seen again. Having accepted the challenge to go into the home, an unexpected find has a horrifying impact on the group and those they come in contact with. Zoe Margaret Colleti plays the lead role of Stella, who is fascinated with horror stories. Together with her friends Auggie and Chuck they are targeted for their looks and quirky behaviour. They are joined by Ramon, who is a newcomer to the town with a secret of his own. None of these actors was known to me before seeing this movie but they did a good job in developing characters I recognised from my youth. As the title of the film implies Scary Stories are told that feature the teenagers and their friend. Each story spotlights a personal fear and plays out as a living nightmare with varied outcomes. If you have an aversion for scarecrows, spiders, blobs, big toes or other disturbing creatures from your imagination be prepared to hide behind your hands during some scenes. While not a classic, I enjoyed this movie as it kept the suspense up throughout, was not afraid to sacrifice some cast to a gruesome end but most importantly finished strongly. For those of you who tell me that they don't like horror movies and so haven't attended one for a while, I would recommend that you try this one when it comes to Netflix or Stan. Whether you are creeped out by a suspenseful scene or jump at an unexpected moment there is a great thrill in being a little bit scared. This movie makes being scared fun again.