Guillermo del Toro, the director of Pan’s Labyrinth and Crimson Peak, is back at it again with another horror movie. This time he is bringing a classic children’s book trilogy called Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark to the big screen.
Scary Stories to tell… was published in 1981 and written by Alvin Schwartz with images illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Del Toro, actually, has several original illustrations of Gammell in his personal collection. Del Toro has said, this was his favorite book to read when he was a child.
As a horror aficionado, I think del Toro will be perfect for this transformation. First of all, he is a devote fan of the book and he will not let other fans down with a poor interpretation. Last and not least, this book was banned in schools libraries due to the content, which includes murder and cannibalism. Also, the artwork created by Gammell is very creepy looking and would give children nightmares. So, in other words, this is right up del Toro’s alley.
If you have not read the book and you are a fan of weird and macabre stories, go treat yourself and buy this trilogy. You will not be disappointed.