Justin Tate's Reviews > Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

In anticipation of the new movie, I dusted this off and made the foolish decision of reading in an empty house, well past the twilight hour. About halfway I got too creeped out to continue. Had to finish the rest this morning.

These stories are SCARY. Something about the nonchalant way horror happens makes it even more real. In this world, there's nothing unusual about ghosts and murderers and zombies. Why should there be? They are so common. There could be a murderer in your attic right now. And wait--what’s that noise?

I did not obsess over these books as a kid (like I did other teen horror series) but I was surprised by how much I still remembered. Reading as an adult I can appreciate more what Schwartz achieved. The extensive research into folklore is done remarkably well. The guy knows his stuff, and it shows with the lengthy list of references and interviews he did during research. Another key part of the success, I believe, are the stories that reveal how to scare an audience. Starting the collection this way empowers the reader before they wade into the more bone-chilling tales.

Obviously, it would be impossible to comment on this without discussing the artwork. I'm glad the illustrator's name is as large as the author's because Gammell's contribution is just as significant. My biggest hope for the movie is that they are able to immerse us in a world that somehow resembles these drawings. There's been nothing like them before or since the Scary Stories series ended, and they remain the most iconic piece of the collection.

All in all, a fantastic book that holds up well. Glad I never gave away my copy!