'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark' Trailer: The Horror Book Adaptation Will Scare A Whole New Generation Of Children

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was responsible for thousands of '80s and '90s kids' nightmares when it was first published as a series of three children's horror books written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell in 1981. Now the upcoming feature film adaptation will traumatize a whole new generation of children. Executive producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal will be bringing the scariest collection of spooky tales to the big screen for kids of all ages with imagery and body horror that seems more fit for an R-rated film. Watch the new Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trailer below.

It's hard to believe that this is a horror film targeted at children, as some of the imagery and body horror looks like it would warrant an R-rating. But that's the great thing about Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark — it doesn't talk down to its audience, even as it's trying to scare the bejeezus out of them. This is worlds beyond the campy Goosebumps adaptation. Like this latest trailer and the first trailer proved, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is legitimate nightmare fuel.

That makes sense considering the team behind Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has some real horror accolades. Guillermo del Toro co-wrote the screen story, and serves as executive producer for the adaptation, while André Øvredal, who directed The Autopsy of Jane Doe, is behind the camera. While this movie is aimed at younger audiences, it's clear that del Toro and Øvredal won't be pulling their punches when it comes to the horror elements and paying proper tribute to the gorgeous, ghoulish illustrations of the original books by Stephen Gammell.

Here's the official film synopsis:

It's 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind...but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time—stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah's terrifying home.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark opens August 9, 2019.