Saturday, October 31, 2015

A Glimpse into the Darkness: A Brief Look at the "Scary Stories" Series


Once again, the season of autumnal gloom has descended upon us. As Halloween arrives, I find myself looking through the pages of a small set of books, admiring the artwork that once terrified me as a kid. Eventually I come across a black book with a red border with the words “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark” printed in large black letters. Below the letters is a macabre image of a skull with the familiar red “Scholastic” logo at the bottom, resurrecting old memories of book sales and small paper catalogs passed out by grade school teachers in homeroom.

The infamous cover image. Book cover art is
© HarperCollins

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a series of books written by the late Alvin Schwartz and featured the infamous drawings by Stephen Gammell. Featuring stories such as “What Do You Come For?”, “The Dead Man’s Brains”, “Such Things Happen”, the three books—Scary Stories, More Scary Stories, and Scary Stories 3 –were the subject of controversy due to their chilling imagery and were consequently the most frequently challenged series for library banning from 1990-99 (“100 Most Frequently Challenged Books”).  The series was also challenged from 2000-2009 and was the 7th most challenged series for the decade (“Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books”). 

 
Notwithstanding being challenged multiple times, the series has survived and or continues to be a classic collection for spooky stories. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the series, Scary Stories publisher Harper Collins rereleased the series with new illustrations by Brett Helquist, best known for illustrating Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. This change in illustration angered many who found Helquist’s illustrations lacking in their depth of displaying haunting detail in comparison to Gammell.  Quite simply, “Gammell’s  skill at reaching into the darkest depths of his imagination and returning with vivid nightmares which he then captured in all their macabre detail through his paintings is, simply put, unmatched”(Pellegrini). It is a disappointment, as the stories lose the intended impact that Gammell’s drawings created. Mark Pellegrini’s article “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark:Gammel vs. Helquist” provides a helpful juxtaposition between the artwork of the two editions. 
 
Despite the years of controversy, the Scary Stories series has remained as an important source of inspiration and nightmare fuel for many children of the ‘80s and 90s and has recently received some attention. CBS Films hired screenwriter John August to rewrite a screenplay after the previous version, written by Saw writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, was thrown out (Hall). Moreover, the series is also the focus of a documentary directed by Cody Meirick—Scary Stories: A Documentary, which aims to highlight the legacy of the series, the history of gothic children’s folklore, and the impact of illustrations on young children. “In addition, to tackle the books as a subject inevitably involves the topic of censorship amongst children’s literature. Using the most censored modern example of this practice, this documentary intends to shine a light on the practice and explore the many facets and opinions involved with challenging children’s books in America” (“Synopsis”). Be sure to visit the documentary website if you wish to learn more about this exciting project. 

Honestly, I cannot recommend this series enough. The books offered a unique angle unlike other scary story series such as Goosebumps; though Gammell’s illustrations were extremely frightening to me as a child, there was an unmatched charm with these books that drew me to them. I have many fond memories flipping through the pages, thoroughly engrossed in the horrors that awaited the unsuspecting victims. Schwartz did not talk down to his audience but instead challenged the convention of what is allowed in children’s literature. Today, the series serves as inspiration for my art projects and general aesthetics. 

The original print of these books, while not impossible, is a bit difficult to come by, but I do suggest searching eBay, Thrift Books, or visiting a thrift store if you would like to acquire the series for yourself. If you’re having difficulty locating a copy, you can still celebrate this wonderfully dark day by dimming the lights, cozying up with a snack, and listening to the incredibly recorded audiobooks fill the emptiness of the room. 


To continue the festivities, I also created a Halloween playlist, "Pumpkins and Old Records" (link in case the playlist doesn't load), and you can also listen to last year's playlist if you wish. I suppose my Halloween playlist will officially become a tradition of sorts.




Here is the track listing in case YouTube doesn’t load:

Screaming for Emily—The Love
Your Funeral—I Wanna Be You
Screaming Dead—Lovers
The Legendary Pink Dots—Lisa’s Party
45 Grave—Riboflavin
Cinema Strange—Moundshroud

Cinema Strange—Finger Broken Branches (Instrumental)

Scarecrow—Mother’s Calling

Exces Nocturne—L’Echo des Lumières
Specimen—Dead Man’s Autochop
Siouxsie and the Banshees—Head Cut
Bauhaus—St. Vitus Dance
Oingo Boingo—Dead Man’s Party

I try to focus more on songs that usually aren't included in Halloween playlists, so if you like any of the featured bands, be sure to check them out.


Lastly, welcome and thank you to new readers! I truly hope you enjoy your stay.


Have a deathly decadent Halloween♥

Sources Cited:

“100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990-1999”. American Library Association. N.d. Web. 15 October 2015. (link)

Hall, Jacob. “‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ Will Get Rewritten by ‘Frankenweenie’ Writer John August”. The Movie Network. 18 November 2014. Web. 23 October 2015. (link)

Pellegrini, Mark. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Gammell vs. Helquist”. Adventures in Poor Taste. 18 December 2011. Web. 14 October 2015. (link)

“Synopsis”. Scary Stories: A Documentary. 2015. Web. 23 October 2015. (link)

“Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009”. American Library Association. N.d. Web. 15 October 2015. (link)