“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” started off as a book series in 1981. In 2019, the series got a new movie adaptation.

“The story was decent, but it really was not scary,” junior Connor Jeffreys said. 

In the movie, a group of outcasts tries to get revenge on the local bully. When he traps them in an abandoned house, they find a book once owned by the main villain Sarah Bellows played by Kathleen Pollard. Bellows would tell kids stories, causing them to die. Many terrible stories are told to the group of outcasts, as the book magically writes new chapters in blood. 

“I liked that there was a story for every character; it was a neat concept,” senior Connor pellegrini said. 

The movie has five separate stories for each  different character, and one overarching story about Bellows. The five stores include, Harold, The Big Spot, The Jangly Man, Pale Lady and The Big Toe. 

“It was definitely for kids and not meant to be crazy scary or anything like that,” Jeffreys said. 

Most of the books end with the character in a bad spot. For example, in “The Bed by the Window,” published in “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” a patient in a hospital describes life outside the walls so vividly that another patient kills him, in order to take over his bed. The triumphant killer looks out the window for the first time, and sees only a blank, brick wall.

“[The movie had] bad execution. [It] could have been way better, but they messed up marketing it for kids,” senior Ashton Ranney said. 

The movie has thus far grossed $92 million and is still available in some theaters. It will release on Amazon Video and iTunes, October 22 and on DVD November 5.