Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark(2019)
2019 · André Øvredal · 108 min
Mill Valley, Pennsylvania, Halloween night, 1968. After playing a joke on a school bully, Stella and her friends decide to sneak into a supposedly haunted house that once belonged to the powerful Bellows family, unleashing dark forces that they will be unable to control.
Horror · Mystery
6.52.9k votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
2/5
Stays with you
How Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark scares
Watching this feels like flipping through a spooky picture book where each story brings a new monster and a new kind of scare. The mood is gothic and moody, built around small-town Halloween dread, but the scares themselves come in quick jolts once each creature shows up. It leans on creepy visuals and eerie designs more than blood, so it's unsettling without being gruesome. This is a good pick for younger horror fans or anyone who wants a spooky, story-driven ride rather than something heavy or upsetting.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark rates psychological 2/5, visceral 3/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 2/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 2 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 60 of 100 — leans Jump scares
Supernatural vs Real-world: 12 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 30 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
An anthology-style ride that starts with light setup then delivers a steady string of escalating scares, building to an intense final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark rates 2/5 — moderately scary, delivering its fear through jump scares more than lingering dread. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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