Summer 2019 just got a little scarier. For children of the 80s and 90s, these short stories written by Alvin Schwartz and horrifyingly illustrated by Stephen Gammell lived up to their title: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. You may have had your Goosebumps collection and you may have hidden beneath your blanket for Snick's airings of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, but everyone remembers the scrawly illustrations that accompanied these skin-crawling stories. R.L. Stine's series already has two big-screen adaptations and the Nickelodeon nightmare-machine has one on the way, but this will be the first time that Scary Stories gets an adaptation of any kind, save for a documentary. And it's being handled by some of the best storytellers in the biz.

Directed by André Øvredal, written by Daniel Hageman & Kevin Hageman, and Guillermo del Toro, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, Lorraine Toussaint, Austin Zajur, and Natalie Ganzhorn. Look for it in theaters on August 9, 2019, from CBS Films and Lionsgate, which just announced the release date today along with a new title treatment and behind-the-scenes shot of the cast and crew.

Here's the official synopsis:

Inspired by one of the most terrifying children’s book series of all time, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK follows a group of young teens who must solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town.

Sean DanielElizabeth Grave, del Toro, Jason F. Brown, and J. Miles Dale are on board as producers.

Which Scary Stories tale is your favorite? Which one still keeps you up at night? (For me, it's "Tailypo", a weird story that has stuck with me for one reason or another all these years later.) Let us know your favorites in the comments!

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Image via CBS Films, Lionsgate

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