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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Name: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Director: André Øvredal
Released: 2019
Duration: 108 min

Representation Score

6.8/10

Good

2019

PG-13

Director

André Øvredal

Runtime

108 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The film updates the horror genre by diversifying its main characters and elevating a female lead. It moves away from male-dominated narratives, offering a richer social landscape compared to traditional period films. However, the period setting limits LGBTQ+ representation. While it explores psychological trauma, it does not provide specific disability-focused storylines. Overall, the movie stands out by not sanitizing the harsh realities of 1968 society, using its diverse cast to emphasize the systemic nature of youth bullying.

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Category Breakdown

Does Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The 1968 setting restricts the presence of LGBTQ+ identities. There are no non-straight or non-cisgender characters or queer-coded hints among the teenagers.

How does Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark portray gender?

Good

The film challenges traditional horror by focusing on female empowerment. Sarah Bellows leads the plot through her emotional struggles and intellectual curiosity about the supernatural.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?

Good

A mix of ethnicities in the young cast breaks the usual homogenous group in period horror. This choice highlights a diverse community within the small town setting.

How does Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark represent religion and culture?

Fair

Monsters are shown as reflections of human cruelty and systematic bullying. The story dismantles conventional social structures, presenting them as sources of psychological damage.

Does Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark include disability representation?

Fair

Disabilities are implied through themes of psychological distress and social isolation. These elements touch on feelings of exclusion but do not specifically address disabilities.

Present on Screen

Highlights a female protagonist who drives the plot through intellectual engagement rather than mere survival.
Features a multi-ethnic cast that avoids the predominantly white casts typical of period horror.
Challenges traditional social structures by showing them as sources of systemic cruelty and oppression.

Limited or Absent

Does not include any meaningful representation or hints related to LGBTQ+ identities.
Does not explicitly frame psychological vulnerability or social isolation through the lens of disability.
Sticks closely to the social norms of its 1968 setting without questioning straight and cisgender assumptions.

Official Synopsis

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.

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