André Øvredal debuts delightful horror movie at Rome Film Festival
Norwegian filmmaker Andre Øvredal (Troll Hunter, Autopsy) debuted his new horror film, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, in the Official Selection of Rome Film Festival. Based on the series of books by Alvin Schwartz, the film summarizes a collection of folklorisitc horror stories. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is written by Dan and Kevin Hageman and produced by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro.
Set in 1968, in the small city of Mill Valley, the film tells the story of four teenagers that on Halloween night, visit an old abandoned house: according to a local legend, the place is haunted by the ghost of Sarah Bellows, a young girl affected by albinism who was locked in her room for years due to her physical diversity. As they visit the place, the friends find a book of horror stories that Sarah used to write to pass her time alone. The group will soon find out that the stories are actually detailed prophecies of death that have always come true in real life.
Øvredal pays tribute to old horror movies building an exquisite vintage atmosphere, whether is a door squeaking or scenes from a well-known masterpiece like Night of The Living Dead playing in a drive-in. Moreover, some of the monsters that appear in the film are inspired by Del Toro’s fantastic creatures.
Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark provides the right amount of jump scares without being to extreme. The film picks from the best horror tradition, which makes it the perfect movie to watch with friends at Halloween.
Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark stars different generations of talented actors including Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris and Gil Bellows.
