Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

On Halloween night in 1968, in the small town of Mill Valley, Stella Nicholls and her friends pull a prank that targets a cruel school bully. Their bet leads them to the long shuttered Bellows house, a place locals swear is haunted by the misdeeds of a once powerful family. Inside, their curiosity rips open a door to a chain of vengeful memories and lurking terrors, awakening forces tied to the Bellows name. As strange things begin to stalk the stairwells and shadows, the teens realize what they started cannot simply be walked away from. The night becomes a deadly test of courage and survival. Their choices ripple into Mill Valley, drawing the town's attention and drawing danger ever closer.

Directed by André Øvredal and produced by Guillermo del Toro with Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, this 2019 horror film adapts the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark tales for the big screen, drawing on Alvin Schwartz's chilling stories.

With a budget around 25 million, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark grossed about 104.5 million worldwide, signaling solid performance for a mid-range horror title released in summer 2019, and became one of the year's more successful horror outings.

Critics praised the film's practical effects and suspenseful pacing, and noted how it blends a teen coming-of-age vibe with classic jump scares. The narrative threads probe fear, memory, and how a community hides a dark past beneath sunny facades and friendly small-town manners, and it is anchored by solid performances.

While not a blockbuster cultural juggernaut, the film helped push a renewed appetite for horror built around folklore and practical effects. It reinforced Guillermo del Toro's influence on mainstream adaptations, and its Bellows house moments linger as memorable notes in contemporary fright cinema, leaving a lasting impression on genre fans.