Guillermo Del Toro reveals why André Øvredal was the perfect director for Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark

Based on the iconic eerie book series by Alvin Schwartz, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, tells horror tales drawn from the urban folklore, campfire tales and accounts of the chillingly inexplicable events that have suddenly disrupted ordinary lives and terrified teens for centuries. And to recreate the terror on screen, Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro was in search of a director who was ready and willing to play freely in the creative sandbox that Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was meant to provide.

The acclaimed filmmaker found exactly that in the Norwegian director André Øvredal. The appeal of Øvredal to Del Toro was simple and he says, “André has a great sense of character, a great sense of humor, a great sense of pacing, and he makes very scary movies.”

For Øvredal, receiving the script was the start of his own fantastic adventure. “I was not familiar with theScary Stories books before,” he admits, “So learning about them started me on the very joyful experience to get to know this incredible world of Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell.”

Øvredal adds, “Guillermo is a master storyteller that I’ve learned so much from. Just his understanding of how to tell a story on screen, not to mention his brilliance with creating stunning creatures, was crucial to doing this film. He has an acute sense of how to heighten everything he touches.”

Check out the trailer right here:

A deep rapport opened up between Del Toro and Øvredal, reveals co-producer Dale. He says, “When Guillermo produces, he is very supportive and brings in a lot of ideas, but he also really wants the director to be able to put their own fingerprints on the movie. Luckily, André is also a very visual guy, so, he and Guillermo spoke that language with each other. They were constantly talking about things like palette and camera style in a very detailed way.”

Catch the biggest scare-fare and the spine-chilling tale of terror, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, asPVR Pictures releases it in theatres on August 9. For more updates on this film and Bollywood, stay tuned to CineBlitz.