It’s Time For Some Scary Stories!

Posted on October 20, 2019 inReview

Today Kim and I bring you a double review of the Scary Stories trilogy by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Kim also gives her thoughts in a movie comparison of the new movie by Guillermo del Toro!

Books in the Trilogy:
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones

Trilogy Description:

The iconic anthology series of horror tales that’s now a feature film!

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a timeless collection of chillingly scary tales and legends, in which folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time.

Jessica’s Rating:
Book 1: 4 stars
Book 2: 3 stars
Book 3: 4 stars

Jessica’s Review:

I LOVED the Scary Stories books as a kid and I remember being freaked out by those drawings! When I found out Guillermo del Toro was going to be doing a film version I became excited, I had to get those books again (with the original drawings!) In 2011 the books were re-released with new drawings that were more ‘kid friendly”….. NO WAY…. You MUST read these books the way it was intended and that is with the original drawings by Stephen Gammell! The books were changed back in 2017 with the original illustrations. I was lucky enough to find books one and two at my local used bookstore and then lucky me found MY original book three from when I was a kid!!! Score: I had all three books again!

These books are based off old folklore and are written for kids. Some of the stories tell you how to scare your friends while reading the story to a group. As I was reading them now I remembered some of the stories and illustrations. Those drawings just stay with you… My favorite of the three books was the third and final book, and it was probably my favorite as a kid since I still had it! I don’t have many of the books left from when I was a kid, so this one must have been important to me. I even circled some of the story titles in the table of contents.

If you enjoyed these books as a kid, you will surely enjoy them as an adult and get a sense of nostalgia.

Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Kim’s Review:

Ivan and I went to see Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in the theater when it came out. We saw the preview and were intrigued so we watched it. I enjoyed it enough that I decided to get the books and read them. I think they’re such good books to introduce horror to kids! Obviously, it varies from kid to kid, but these books definitely work on the creepy side without being ridiculously scary. I read thru all 3 books in about an hour and found them engaging and chilling. I won’t go so far as to say that they scratched the horror itch, they were too mild for that. But, for the audience they were written for, they’re perfect. The illustrations also added to the reading and made it even more fun. I absolutely recommend these books to read to your kids when they want to be scared. Excellent story collection!