Like many of you, Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books were an indelible part of my childhood. Stephen Gammell’s illustrations were note-perfect nightmare fuel to accompany these spooky folk tales.

When a film version of Scary Stories was announced, I felt a bit of trepidation. After all, the series had already experienced some missteps this decade, such as when Gammell’s iconic illustrations were replaced when the books were reissued for their 30th anniversary.

But then encouraging news started to filter out. Guillermo del Toro’s involvement was announced, and he eventually stepped into a producer role. André Øvredal took on the challenge of directing the film, and I could hardly have been more excited. I’d seen two of Øvredal’s previous movies, Troll Hunter and The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Both films had a strong visual style and deftly incorporated special effects in service of their story. And The Autopsy of Jane Doe was downright scary. It seemed the adaptation was in good hands.

Super Bowl Sunday came, and we were treated to four all-too-brief teasers. Some of the images seemed torn straight from the pages of the books. I wanted to see more.

Today, we can steal a further glimpse of the frights that await us. André Øvredal and Guillermo del Toro have unleashed the first full trailer for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark!

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is slated for release on August 9, 2019.