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Watch the Full Trailer for SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK

Well, that was terrifying.

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Steph Auteri

Senior Contributor

Steph Auteri is a journalist who has written for the Atlantic, the Washington Post, Pacific Standard, VICE, and elsewhere. Her more creative work has appeared in Creative Nonfiction, under the gum tree, Poets & Writers, and other publications, and she is the Essays Editor for Hippocampus Magazine. Her essay, "The Fear That Lives Next to My Heart," published in Southwest Review, was listed as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2021. She also writes bookish stuff here and at the Feminist Book Club, is the author of A Dirty Word, and is the founder of Guerrilla Sex Ed. When not working, she enjoys yoga, embroidery, singing, cat snuggling, and staring at the birds in her backyard feeder. You can learn more at stephauteri.com and follow her on Insta/Threads at @stephauteri.

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When I learned that Guillermo del Toro was adapting Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark for the big screen, I screamed. With joy. Though I hadn’t read the children’s horror series since, well, since I was a child, the terrifying images from the books were still vivid in my mind, and the story of the Wendigo could still give me the shivers.

Since learning of the adaptation — directed by André Øvredal and co-written and produced by del Toro — we’ve been gifted with four teaser trailers, which were already the stuff of nightmares.

And now, CBS Films has released the full trailer. You should maybe watch it while the sun is still shining:

Of all the things from my childhood to be brought back to life — Nancy Drew, DuckTales, those Polly Pocket Toys — this project brings me the most joy. I’ve always been a horror junkie, and being able to see this childhood favorite on the big screen makes me feel as if life is coming full circle.

I look forward to traumatizing my young daughter with these stories when she reaches the appropriate age. Until then, however, I’ll let this screen adaptation take me back in time. I foresee many sleepless nights.

The release date for the Scary Stories film is August 9.