‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ Gets Official Logo and More Cast Members

The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trilogy of books were formative pieces of literature for kids in the ’80s and ’90s, as the short stories piqued the interests of many young readers while the macabre black and white illustrations became the things of nightmares. With a film adaptation beginning production this week, CBS Films has announced new cast members for the project.

Michael Garza (Wayward Pines, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1), Austin Abrams (Brad’s Status, The Americans), Gabriel Rush (Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Austin Zajur (Fist Fight, Kidding), and Natalie Ganzhorn (Make it Pop, Wet Bum) will all be joining the previously announced Zoe Coletti (Annie, Wildlife).

The film’s official synopsis reads, “Inspired by one of the most terrifying book series of all time, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark follows a group of teens who must solve the mystery surrounding a wave of spectacularly horrific deaths in their small town.”

Guillermo del Toro serves as producer while André Øvredal (TrollHunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) serves as director.

“We spent months searching for and assembling the perfect group of actors to help us realize the most terrifying adaptation that we could conceive,” Øvredal shared.

Guillermo del Toro agreed, adding, “I am honored to support Andre’s vision and, with our partners, to bring the incredible world of Scary Stories to the screen.”

In addition to the above synopsis, a report from Collider last week also noted that Stella (Coletti) is “a young girl still haunted by her mother’s disappearance on Halloween night — an incident that she suspects her father knows more about than he lets on. Years later, Stella and her friends are involved in a Halloween prank gone wrong. But are they really at fault, or was it the work of a vengeful spirit — a female ghost who uses her scary stories to come after the teens when they begin to investigate the disappearance of several children?”

Additionally, the film will feature multiple references to some of the series’ iconic short stories, including “Harold,” about a scarecrow that comes to life, and “The Red Dot,” depicting a girl who thinks she has a pimple on her face that ultimately proves to be the result of a spider laying eggs underneath her skin.

Øvredal makes for an exciting choice to helm the project, having delved into the world of fantasy with TrollHunter while delivering audiences a truly haunting film with Autopsy of Jane Doe.

Stay tuned for details about the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark adaptation.

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