Alvin Schwartz was an American author and journalist who wrote more than fifty books dedicated to and dealing with topics such as folklore and word play, many of which were intended for young readers. He is mostly known for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, a series of short stories for children originally illustrated by Stephen Gammell. The series consists of “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” (1981) “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (1984) and “Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones” (1991). The film adaptation, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, opened this weekend and stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows and Lorraine Toussaint. It is directed by André Øvredal and the screenplay was adapted by Dan and Kevin Hageman, from a screen story by producer Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan.

According to Wikipedia, the author drew heavily from folklore and urban legends for his stories and each book features numerous short stories in the horror genre. Influences include Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, Mark Twain, Joel Chandler Harris, Bennett Carl and Jan Harold Brunvand. The series has sold more than seven million copies with the books appearing on numerous children’s bestseller lists. While being considered a “cultural touchstone for a generation,” they have also been criticized by parents and social groups for being inappropriate for children.

In the movie, it is 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind but far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. In their mansion on the edge of town, Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time-stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying home. – Lionsgate and CBS Films.