Now Showing @ ALA Film Program

At American Library Association’s Annual Conference on

Monday, June 26
9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Location: McCormick Place, W181c

Scary Stories: A Documentary explores the history and background of one of the most controversial works of modern children’s literature: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. In the 1980s and 1990s in elementary libraries across the United States, these books developed a growing interest from boys and girls who were taken in by the gothic tales, the whimsical tone, and the ghostly illustrations. Now the Scary Stories book series stands as one of the most challenged children’s book of the last 30 years and a testament to the power of something that is often taken for granted: a good scary story.

In the 90-minute documentary, OIF’s Kristin Pekoll discusses the impact Scary Stories had on generations of readers and its censorship history in libraries.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a three-book anthology of folk tales and urban legends by Alvin Schwartz, with original illustrations by Stephen Gammell. The Scary Stories book series is steeped in mythology that has been handed down for many years. The detailed appendices and source materials listed in the books invite us into a fascinating exploration involving some of the foundations of cultural storytelling: fear, death, the unknown. And it allows us to take a mindful look at the way we entertain children, pass down our heritage, and influence them through the stories we tell.

Scary Stories Website | Scary Stories on Twitter | #ALAAC17

Remember “Scary Stories”? Catch a frighteningly good documentary about the banned & challenged classic at #alaac17! https://t.co/Tqf5pRanrW pic.twitter.com/FJM3TqBDhK

— ALA OIF (@OIF) June 15, 2017