Guillermo del Torois always loading potential projects onto his plate. He’s still determined to makePacific Rim 2, he’s in talks for the remake ofFantastic Voyage, there’s still the black-and-white indie film he’s been circling, a movie about a Mexican wrestler titledSilver, and a smaller, English-language film that he plans to shoot this year (that’s not to mention long shots likeThe Haunted Mansion,Hellboy 3, andAt the Mountains of Madness).
Now there’s another project that has found its way towards the director:Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The director is in talks to direct and he’ll produce along withSean Daniel,Jason Brown, andElizabeth Gravefrom a script byJohn August(Big Fish).Scary Storieswas probably the first exposure to serious horror for a lot of kids asAlvin Schwartz’s trilogy of short stories were no-holds-barred in their creepiness, especially since they were accompanied byStephen Gammellsingular illustrations. Del Toro welcomed the news on Twitter by showing that he owns some of Gammell’s originals because of course he does:
The American Library Association banned the book because the collections were considered to be too scary for children. While banning books is wrong, they’re definitely too scary for children, which is why they’re perfect. You should be exposed to something terrifying in the safe space of fiction because it can spur thrills and creativity in equal measure. There are currently no plot details, but it would be fantastic if del Toro directed a low-budget horror anthology based on the books and a nice change of pace for not only the director, but for modern American horror as well. Part of me would want him to make something that’s R-rated, but that would defeat the purpose. These should be an entry-vehicle for budding horror geeks, and they shouldn’t have to sneak in.
If you’ve read the books, sound off in the comments section about how you think del Toro should approach the material.
Update:For fans asking whether or not those iconic illustrations will be part of the process, del Toro has an answer for you:
