From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Children's story collection

Summary

Children's story collection

Field	Value
name	Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
image	Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark cover.jpg
caption	First edition
author	Alvin Schwartz
illustrator	Stephen Gammell
Brett Helquist (2011 edition)
cover_artist	Stephen Gammell
Brett Helquist (2011 edition)
country	United States
language	English
genre	Horror, children's literature, folklore
publisher	Harper & Row
pub_date	1981–1991

the book series

Brett Helquist (2011 edition) Brett Helquist (2011 edition) Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a series of three collections of short horror stories for children, written by Alvin Schwartz and originally illustrated by Stephen Gammell. In 2011, HarperCollins published editions featuring new art by Brett Helquist, causing mass controversy among fans of Gammell. Subsequent printings have restored the original Gammell art. The titles of the books are Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981), More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1984), and Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones (1991).

The three books each feature numerous short stories in the horror genre. Author Schwartz drew heavily from folklore and urban legends as the topic of his stories, researching extensively and spending more than a year on writing each book. Acknowledged influences include William Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, Mark Twain, Joel Chandler Harris, Bennett Cerf and Jan Harold Brunvand. The first volume was published in 1981, and the books have subsequently been collected in both a box set and a single volume.

There is also an audiobook version of each book, read by George S. Irving. The audiobooks are presented in unabridged format with the exception of a handful of missing stories from the first book.

As of 2017, the books had collectively sold more than seven million copies, and appeared on numerous children's best-seller lists. They have collectively been hailed as a "cultural touchstone for a generation", with the original charcoal and ink artwork by Gammell often singled out for praise.

A film adaptation of the same name was released on August 23, 2019 to generally favorable reviews from critics.

Books

#	Title	Original published date	Pages	ISBN
book_number = 1	title = Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark	title_align = left	publish_date = October 14, 1981	author=Schwartz, Alvin	title=Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark	publisher=Scholastic Inc.	year=1981	isbn=978-0-590-43197-2}} The stories in this book include:

Editions

To celebrate the books' 30th anniversary in 2011, HarperCollins re-released the books with new illustrations from Brett Helquist. The new illustrations were generally regarded as kid-friendly and not as disturbing as their previous illustrations, resulting in widespread criticism from fans of the original. In 2017, the books were re-issued with the original artwork. In 2019, to coincide with the release of the movie, the books were re-released with images taken from the film.

Reception

Reviews

Jon Scieszka of Entertainment Weekly called the first book a "wonderful collection of tales that range from creepy to silly to haunting." He added that Gammell's illustrations added "just the right touch."

Controversy

This series is listed by the American Library Association as being the most challenged series of books from the 1990s, and seventh most challenged from the 2000s. It again made the list in 2012. Complaints have typically centered on its violence, disturbing subject matter, and potential unsuitability for younger readers, as well as religious concerns. Critics have called the stories, many of which feature macabre topics such as murder, disfigurement and cannibalism, "sick... repulsive", and "really disgusting... not appropriate for children". The nightmarish artwork by Stephen Gammell has also been a subject of criticism. Among the groups who have attempted to have the book removed from school libraries are local parent groups and Concerned Women for America; defenders have included the American Library Association and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

Defenders of the books have claimed that they are aimed at "middle-school kids, who are perfectly able to cope with this kind of thing", and that the stories "help children deal with reality by putting faces on what they're afraid of".

Documentary

In 2018, a documentary about the book series titled Scary Stories was released. It explores the process of the books' creation (including the artwork and the folkloric inspiration of the stories), their legacy, and the controversy surrounding attempts to ban them. It featured interviews of family members of the deceased Alvin Schwartz, as well as R. L. Stine and several other authors of 1980s and 1990s children's horror. It debuted at the Panic Fest in Kansas City.

Tribute anthology

The Horror Writers Association compiled a new tribute anthology titled Don't Turn Out the Lights, edited by Jonathan Maberry, and featuring submissions from HWA members. It was released on September 1, 2020.

Film adaptation

Main article: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (film)

In 2013, CBS Films acquired the rights to the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books from 1212 Entertainment who initially optioned the material. The script (initially written by John August) was ultimately credited to Dan and Kevin Hageman, with Guillermo del Toro, Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton receiving a "story by" credit.

Del Toro produced the film along with Sean Daniel, Jason Brown, and Elizabeth Grave, with Roberto Grande and Joshua Long executive producing. Michael Garza, Austin Abrams, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur and Natalie Ganzhorn were cast, with André Øvredal directing.

The film was released on August 23, 2019, by Lionsgate and CBS Films.

References

(2011-12-18). "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Gammell vs. Helquist". Adventuresinpoortaste.com.
Woerner, Meredith. (1 February 2012). "Publishers destroy Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark's amazing artwork". Gawker Media.
Squires, John. (28 July 2017). "Original "Scary Stories" Books Were Just Re-Released With Original Drawings Restored".
(1987). "Profile: Alvin Schwartz". Language Arts.
Monahan, Maureen. (22 October 2015). "14 Terrifying Facts About 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'".
Scheck, Frank. (25 April 2019). "'Scary Stories': Film Review".
Schwartz, Alvin. (1981). "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark". Scholastic Inc..
(2018). "Scary Stories". Giant Thumb Studios.
Schwartz, Alvin. (1984). "More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark". Scholastic Inc..
Schwartz, Alvin. (1991). "Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones". Scholastic Inc..
Sheffield, Ryan. (9 November 2013). "Scary Stories to Tell in the Past".
"100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999 | ala.org/bbooks". Ala.org.
(26 March 2013). "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009 | ala.org/bbooks". Ala.org.
(26 March 2013). "Top Ten Most Challenged Books Lists". Ala.org.
Blades, John. (September 20, 1993). "WHO IS ALVIN SCHWARTZ AND WHY DO PARENTS WANT TO BAND [sic] HIS BOOKS". [[Chicago Tribune]].
(April 7, 1995). "Parents Upset Over Books They Say Are Inappropriate". The Argus-Press.
(2018-01-29). "PANIC FEST: 'Scary Stories' (Documentary)". Downright Creepy.
Olcese, Abby. (2018-01-28). "Panic Fest Review: SCARY STORIES Is A Spooky Trip Down Memory Lane". Birth.Movies.Death..
Morton, Lisa. (February 9, 2018). "HWA announces its next members-only anthology". Horror Writers Association.
(4 December 2013). "CBS Films Nabs 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' Pitch from 'Saw' Scribes".
(4 December 2013). "CBS Films Nabs 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark' Pitch From 'Saw' Scribes". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
"'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' Will Get Rewritten by 'Frankenweenie' Writer John August". DTheMovieNetwork.com.
(January 14, 2016). "Guillermo Del Toro Warms To 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark'". Deadline.
(February 24, 2016). "Guillermo del Toro's 'Scary Stories' Lands 'Lego Movie' Writers". Variety.
McNary, Dave. (August 27, 2018). "Guillermo del Toro's ''Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'' Movie Sets Cast". Variety.
McNary, Dave. (December 14, 2018). "Guillermo del Toro's 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' Set for August Release".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1981-children's-books 1981-short-story-collections american-urban-legends bloody-mary-(folklore) children's-short-story-collections children's-books-adapted-into-films children's-books-based-on-american-folklore children's-horror harper-&-row-books horror-short-story-collections obscenity-controversies-in-literature series-of-children's-books short-stories-about-ghosts short-stories-adapted-into-films

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report