Based on some of the stories from the novels of the same name, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is directed by Norwegian director André Øvredal, and written and produced by Oscar winning director Guillermo Del Toro. Starring Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Zajur and Gabriel Rush,

“Scary Stories” takes place in 1968, following four high school students who discover a haunted book full of scary stories. Eventually the book begins writing stories itself about people in their town, and spooky things happen.

I remember reading some of these stories as a kid and seeing all of the horrifying illustrations from the book; however, I did not want to see an adaptation of “Scary Stories” until I saw Guillermo Del Toro’s name was attached to it, and I swear that I thought he was directing the film until the credits began and it said, “Directed by André Øvredal.”

The best thing about “Scary Stories” is the design of the creatures. Once I found out Guillermos name was attached, I knew the monsters would look amazing just based off of his track record, with films like “Pans Labyrinth,” the “Hellboy” movies, “Pacific Rim,” and his Oscar winning “The Shape of Water.”

The film takes four actual stories from the books, expands way more in depth on one of the stories creating our main ghost, Sarah Bellows, and an entirely new monster is created from inspiration of many of the stories and Guillermo’s own imagination. While one of them is part CG, the rest of them are completely practical, and they look terrifying.

The monsters steal the show; there is no doubt about it. Nearly every monster is a practical effect. Five of the six monsters are from the book itself and are unbelievably accurate to the vision evoked by the book. Guillermo Del Toro, I know for sure, had his hands all over the creature design, because this is some of the best work on creature design I have seen in many years. It is incredibly refreshing to see practical creatures that look terrifying and are not made from CG. It also proves, once again, that practical effects will always prevail in horror movies compared to CGI effects. Name one CG monster better than a practical effect, and I guarantee it will not be better than these monsters.

I applaud the young actors as well. Each one did a great job, and gave vibes similar to those seen in “Stranger Things” and “It.”. Each one of them has a fear that is setup, and then it comes back later in the movie when things get serious. Zoe Margaret Colletti and Austin Zajur get the most credit, because Colletti did an amazing job as the lead of the film, and Zajur was that comic relief character in a horror movie that’s usually a disaster who tanks the movie. In this case he was actually funny and charismatic.

While it was good it did have some issues. My biggest problems with “Scary Stories” are the story and jump scares. The script is very cliché and predictable. Now the defense the writers might get is that they’re making an 80s style horror film that is also an adaptation of “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” However, it is very similar to something like

‘The Ring’ and ‘Final Destination.’ You can tell exactly what is going to happen, and while the style benefits the average script, it is still too predictable. The story is mediocre, and while it will work just fine for someone who is not a huge fan of horror movies, fans of horror films may lose interest partway through.

When it comes to jump scares or the way to release tension in a horror film, I have a huge problem when they are building up tension only for it to be killed by not seeing the creature. Instead, it uses a loud noise that makes any sane person jump, not because it was scary but because it was an insanely loud noise. It is starting to make me mad, and it is even worse in really bad horror movies where, most of the time, the loud noise is a fake scare and a false alarm such as a raccoon outside. This is the main reason why I do not see really bad horror movies anymore because it used to be funny. Now, however, it is just insufferable, and thank god the loud noises represented an actual threat. Other films such as “Midsommar,” “Hereditary,” or “Inglorious Basterds” do tension much better.

Overall, ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ is a great adaptation of the books, has amazing creature effects, but has a lackluster story and does not know how to properly complete a scare. For everyone that just wants to have a good time at the movies, watch a scary movie and have a fun night, this is perfect for you. If you are looking to get scared out of your mind, this is not for you. I rate ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ at a B-.