Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

PG-13

2019

1h 51m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

78%

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237 Reviews

72%

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5,000+ Verified Ratings

The shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large in the small town of Mill Valley for generations. It's in a mansion that young Sarah Bellows turns her tortured life and horrible secrets into a series of scary stories. These terrifying tales soon have a way of becoming all too real for a group of unsuspecting teens who stumble upon Sarah's spooky home.

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Critics Consensus

Like the bestselling series of books that inspired it, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark opens a creepy gateway into horror for younger genre enthusiasts.

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Stephen Romei

The Australian

10/05/2019

3/5

This is a solid horror movie, thanks to its source material, its freakish monsters, its definite jump scares and good performances by Colletti and Garza.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

09/25/2019

3.5/5

The plot takes many twists with an ingeniously designed set of monsters creating havoc at regular intervals.

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Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

08/30/2019

3/5

The film... is a loving and faithful adaptation, even if it gets lost in its attempt to wrap the whole thing up in a neat metaphor.

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David Day

Horror Movie Talk

Aug 11

6/10

While Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. It was pretty by the books. Its the movie you would write if you were tasked with writing a movie based on the book, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

07/12/2025

While it spins its wheels far more than it needs to in justifying its own existence...Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark at least tries to be a fun experience for young and older viewers. The scariest part may be that it often succeeds in doing so.

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David Griffiths

Subculture Entertainment

10/29/2024

4/5

Creepily spectacular Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is a throwback to films like Jeepers Creepers and Gremlins, films that were aimed for teenagers but had more of a horror side than most films aimed at that age-group.

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RJ

05/07/2025

The movie was okay, I liked it as far as something scary. But I wouldn’t really watch it again. It was decent but not what I was expecting it to be.

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Ivan T

12/06/2021

Your review will help others decide whether to watch.

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madison

07/31/2020

It was an entertaining story and had a good aesthetic.

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Felix

11/03/2019

I can honestly say I enjoyed it and would watch a part 2

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Pattyg

11/02/2019

More of a young kids movie than scary story. Nothing like the trailer led me to believe.

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edson

11/01/2019

Pretty good. Just that some parts were super cheesy. Ehh ending.

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André Øvredal

Director

Zoe Margaret Colletti

Stella Nicholls

Michael Garza

Ramon Morales

Gabriel Rush

Auggie Hilderbrandt

Austin Abrams

Tommy Milner

Dean Norris

Roy Nicholls

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark's Scariest Scenes

9:58

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: B-Roll

5:12

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Trailer - Season of the Witch

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Trailer - Jangly Man

1:37

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Trailer 1

2:24

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Teaser Trailer 1

1:39

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Synopsis

The shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large in the small town of Mill Valley for generations. It's in a mansion that young Sarah Bellows turns her tortured life and horrible secrets into a series of scary stories. These terrifying tales soon have a way of becoming all too real for a group of unsuspecting teens who stumble upon Sarah's spooky home.

Director: André Øvredal
Producer: Guillermo del Toro, Sean Daniel, Jason F. Brown, J. Miles Dale, Elizabeth Grave
Screenwriter: Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman
Distributor: CBS Films, Lionsgate Films, eOne
Production Co: Les Films Séville, CBS Films, Entertainment One, Lionsgate Television, Double Dare You
Rating: PG-13 (Disturbing Images|Brief Sexual References|Thematic Elements|Language|Racial Epithets|Terror/Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 2019, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 27, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $68.7M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)