Guillermo del Toro says it was "important" to set the movie version of ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ in the 1960s because the decade will have a big impact on the characters.
The 53-year-old filmmaker is the producer of the big screen adaptation of Alvin Schwartz’s collection of short horror stories, originally set in the 1980s, and he thinks the change of decade will provide a more intense cinematic experience as the characters won’t have modern technology such as "Google and cell phones" to rely on and he feels the "less resources they have, the better".
Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, he said: "It was important to set it in the 60s. The less resources they have, the better. They don’t have Google, cell phones. The other reason is because stories travelled slower, but deeper."
‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ will tell the story of a group of teens who try to solve the mystery surrounding historic deaths in their town.
Guillermo has been attached to the horror project for a number of years and he was originally poised to direct the movie, but Andre Ovredal ultimately took the director’s child and the Norwegian filmmaker admitted making the movie was like fulfilling a childhood dream for him.
He said: "I think we were making a movie for ourselves at age 12".
Guillermo added: "There are three generations that have gone through these books. We always felt this is something kids and fathers could watch."
The ‘Shape of Water’ director went on to explain that he was attracted to the novel series as he felt the stories were "creepy and engaging".
He said: "What immediately grabbed my attention was the artwork. They were so creepy and so engaging. They have the strength and tempo of a fireside tale."
However, the ‘Hellboy’ filmmaker didn’t want to create an anthology-style film because "they’re always as bad as their worst story".
Guillermo del Toro thinks Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark benefits from 60s setting
