‘Scary Stories’ is a documentary from first-time filmmaker Cody Meirick on Alvin Schwartz’s spooky children’s books ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’, and it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time with the feature film adaptation coming up this year. It includes interviews from R.L. Stine, scholars in the field of folklore as well as Schwartz’s family, which adds a more personal touch to the examination of the books. As someone who’s never read Schwartz’s stories before I wasn’t sure if this film would appeal to me but having watched it, the passion that the fans have shown for the books have encouraged me to seek them out so overall, I think the film does a good job in getting anyone unfamiliar with the books interested which is exactly what a documentary is supposed to do.
The topics covered in the interviews include Schwartz’s life – the distant relationship he ended up having with his son Peter isn’t ignored, and he is very honest and open about the regrets he has about this – his research and love of folklore, the illustrations by Stephen Gammell, and the controversies surrounding parents trying to get the book banned from elementary schools for their content. Although the documentary is interesting in many different ways (the psychoanalysis of some of the stories and their possible effect on children are fascinating), the discussions around censorship were by far the most interesting part, with concerned parents arguing that the content of the stories are too gruesome for young children whereas others believe that it’s wrong to take away something that encourages children to enjoy reading and answers taboo questions they may have about death. Near the end of the film, one of the mothers who had campaigned to get the book banned from her child’s school has a conversation with Peter Schwartz regarding the issue, and it was nice to see a debate that isn’t a screaming match take place in a civilised way.
The only main flaws with the film are the editing which often feels a bit off and out of place, as well as the recreations of the stories being told which didn’t seem to fit with the tone. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to what everyone had to say about the stories, and the animation captures the gothic feel of Gammell’s illustrations which keeps you engaged. The film really captures the love that people had and continue to have for these books, which is why it’s a good tribute to the creator and a celebration of the power of stories as a whole.
The topics covered in the interviews include Schwartz’s life – the distant relationship he ended up having with his son Peter isn’t ignored, and he is very honest and open about the regrets he has about this – his research and love of folklore, the illustrations by Stephen Gammell, and the controversies surrounding parents trying to get the book banned from elementary schools for their content. Although the documentary is interesting in many different ways (the psychoanalysis of some of the stories and their possible effect on children are fascinating), the discussions around censorship were by far the most interesting part, with concerned parents arguing that the content of the stories are too gruesome for young children whereas others believe that it’s wrong to take away something that encourages children to enjoy reading and answers taboo questions they may have about death. Near the end of the film, one of the mothers who had campaigned to get the book banned from her child’s school has a conversation with Peter Schwartz regarding the issue, and it was nice to see a debate that isn’t a screaming match take place in a civilised way.
The only main flaws with the film are the editing which often feels a bit off and out of place, as well as the recreations of the stories being told which didn’t seem to fit with the tone. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to what everyone had to say about the stories, and the animation captures the gothic feel of Gammell’s illustrations which keeps you engaged. The film really captures the love that people had and continue to have for these books, which is why it’s a good tribute to the creator and a celebration of the power of stories as a whole.
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