For many, the book seriesScary Stories to Tell in the Dark, written by Alvin Schwartz & Stephen Gammell, was a staple to every school library trip, next to R.L SteinsGoosebumps series. Most recently highlighted in the 2019 film of the same name. Guillermo del Toro co-produced and came up with the story and this is apparent in some of the demonic figures that appear. Directed by André Øvredal the film was met with mixed reviews however it has recently been announced that a sequel is in the works. Something tells me we haven’s seen the full extent of Hammel and Schwartz' work just yet.
A long dormant childhood memory has been given new life once again by an online artist known by the handle@WatchfulEyeArton twitter. The artist is extremely mysterious, citing a location of ‘Politzania’ that no longer exists, creating an even bigger online presence for themselves. With 11 and a half thousand followers it appears the Twittersphere cannot wait to see what this artist comes up with next.
WatchfulEyeArt has used their twitter to talk exclusively about thehorrorgenre and that has now been reflected in their art. With truehorror iconssuch asFreddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Leatherfaceand even the mostly looked over Candyman, their art style is reminiscent of theScary Storieswe all grew to know and love. With bold watercolor strokes and a strong black and white theme we haven’t scratched the surface of the horror communities intrigue. They’ve even included short stories within their titles to really drive home the horror narrative. I, for one, cannot wait to see what the future brings forWatchfuleye. You can purchase some spooky 8X10 prints of theslashersdirectly from the artist in their profile.
In the movie,Scary Stories to Tell in the Darkfollows four teenagers who attempt to solve a string of mysterious murders in their small and unassuming hometown in 1968 America. Within the film are a few shout outs to classic book monsters such asThe Pale Lady, Harold the Scarecrow, The Jangly Manand (most disturbingly)The Bellows Family.Arguably the reason whyScary stories to tell in the darkmeant so much to us as children is due to our fascination with the morose and macabre and coupled with the fact that it tapped in to a very real fear of subjects such asspiders, kept us up for hours on dark nights. We’ve all been there, camping or on a sleepovertelling ghost stories;Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark did the work for us.
