Scary Stories

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Scary Stories

Released Jul 16, 2019

1h 22m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Filmmaker Cody Meirick examines the history and cultural impact of the horror book series "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" by author Alvin Schwartz.

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Kristy Puchko

Pajiba

Littered with garbled audio, facile arguments, and astoundingly poor production values, the film feels cheap, lazy, and opportunistic...

Apr 30, 2019

Full Review

Frank Scheck

The Hollywood Reporter

An informative and entertaining warm-up to the upcoming feature film adaptation.

Apr 25, 2019

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The meandering approach to Scary Stories, combined with a less-than-compelling group of interviewees, makes this a very long 84-minute documentary.

Rated: 1/4

Feb 26, 2022

Full Review

Dax Ebaben

Bloody Disgusting

This adoring, enlightening, and engrossing look back at some of the most groundbreaking, frightening books in the history of children's literature is surprisingly full of heart.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 31, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

An immensely fun and satisfying experience that will make you want to bury yourself into Schwartz's unique and inspired world.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 21, 2020

Full Review

Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Fans of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series will delight in Cody Meirick's documentary ... because of how it takes the time to create context for the stories themselves.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 26, 2019

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Russell H

Interesting documentary on books I remember as a kid

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/01/24

Full Review

Brad P

Scary Stories is a wonderful celebration of Alvin Schwartz's macabre works. Engaging and thought-provoking, without using nostalgia as a crutch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

it was really good, interesting plot, great monster adaptation from the original books, good acting.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

An interesting documentary about my favorite childhood books. Not only did I learn more about the author, illustrator, and the folklore on which these stories are based, but this documentary makes a good point on censorship and children's imaginations. I have so many good memories of reading these stories with my friends as a kid. Now, I just need to find where my old books are...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I think people thought this was a movie of the stories..its a synopsis of the book and how it came to be, about the author. And its great! So fascinating, great documentary about how a childhood classic came to be! I For a trip down memory lane, and some things I didn't know about the stories.. this movie will have best of both worlds!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting to see how these books inspired others and how they came about.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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Cody Meirick

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Scary Stories: Trailer 1

1:44

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Cody Meirick examines the history and cultural impact of the horror book series "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" by author Alvin Schwartz.

Director: Cody Meirick
Producer: Cody Meirick
Distributor: Wild Eye Releasing
Production Co: Giant Thumb Studios
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 16, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 10, 2019
Runtime: 1h 22m

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