Guillermo del Toro, the movie’s producer, took part in a Q&A about Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark over on Twitter last night, and one fan asked him if any stories from the Alvin Schwartz-penned trilogy of books were going to be adapted for the movie but ultimately didn’t make the cut. As it turns out, one story in particular was indeed left on the cutting room floor.
“There were many stories we wanted to include but we couldn’t – or we did and we removed them,” del Toro explained. “Particularly a story called ‘High Beams’. The character it was linked to…I thought it was not good to give that story to that character. And we removed it.”
“High Beams” was featured in the original Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book, centered on a high school student driving home one night. She begins to realize that a red pickup truck seems to be following her, shining its high beams on and off into her back window. It’s only when she gets home that she realizes there’s been a man holding a knife in her back seat the whole time, and the pickup truck driver had been using his high beams to warn her about the danger.
Perhaps “High Beams” will find its way into a sequel, if the first film does well enough!
Q: Were there any stories you wanted to include in the film but couldn’t? If so, why were they excluded? #AskScaryStories
– @KevinKlawitter— Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (@ScaryStoriesMov) August 7, 2019
