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Original “Scary Stories” Books Were Just Re-Released With Original Drawings Restored
These are the things that make us smile.
Anyone who ever read one of Alvin Schwartz’s controversial Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books as a kid probably remembers being terrified both by the stories and equally so by the drawings, which were contributed by Stephen Gammell. Schwartz and Gammell collaborated on the three books in the series, released between 1981 and 1991.
In celebration of the 30th anniversary, however, Harper Collins re-released the three books with new artwork from artist Brett Helquist. That 2011 re-release drew the ire of fans, who were none too happy about Gammell’s iconic illustrations being removed from the books.
It was downright blasphemous, they felt.
Well, six years later, Harper Collins has made right on the flub by re-releasing the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books with Gammell’s original illustrations put back into them! We tip our hats to Reddit for letting us know that the latest re-release of the three book collection was put up for grabs just this week.
And all is once again right with the world!
In the series, folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time.
The best part about engaging with collaborative genre fiction on the internet is that anyone can get in on the action, with worldwide accessibility often resulting in absurd story beats that wouldn’t be possible if any single person was responsible for the entire narrative. And while Kane Parsons’ Backrooms film is definitely the young filmmaker’s own unique take on the infamous creepypasta, it’s fun to see other creators join the Backrooms sandbox now that the big screen adaptation is getting ready for a record-shattering opening weekend.
As if cleverly timed releases like Puppet Combo’s The Backrooms game weren’t enough (not to mention that Scary Movie poster poking fun at Parsons’ flick), McDonald’s official social media accounts have now released an analog horror video of their own celebrating the liminal terrors of the McRooms – complete with a familiar purple surprise at the end of the footage.
While it’s funny enough to see the world’s most recognizable Fast Food giant engage with internet-borne Found Footage thrills seemingly out of the blue, the video is actually referencing a long-running gag among the Backrooms fandom where creators jokingly talk about there being a fully functional McDonald’s restaurant hidden somewhere in level 0 of the infamous liminal labyrinth.
Now, would it be too much to hope for a moist-carpet-flavored McShake to tie in with the film?
Backrooms is now playing only in theaters from A24.
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