The shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large in the small town of Mill Valley for generations. It’s in a mansion that young Sarah Bellows turns her tortured life and horrible secrets into a series of scary stories. These terrifying tales soon have a way of becoming all too real for a group of unsuspecting teens who stumble upon Sarah’s spooky home.
The story begins in a small Pennsylvania town in 1968 where a group of friends decide to take revenge on a bully classmate Tommy (Austin Abrams) and his friends on Halloween night. After being chased by them, Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti), Auggie (Gabriel Rush) and Chuck (Austin Zajur) escape into a drive-in movie theater where they meet Ramón (Michael Garza) and hide out in his car. After the coast is clear, Stella suggests they check out an old haunted mansion holding an urban legend of a girl named Sara Bellows who was tortured and locked in a room by her own family.
The three friends break into the building and Stella begins to tell the story of how even though no one ever saw Sara, many would listen to her tell stories through the walls. Captivated by the mystery, Stella becomes quickly enveloped in Sara’s stories when she stumbles across her book and takes it home. As she begins to read, she unleashes Sara’s evil spirit and begins to notice that new stories appear on the page. As they are written, people begin to disappear, starting with Tommy who is finally attacked one night in a cornfield by the very scarecrow he beats up and, ultimately, turns into one himself.
With each new story that is written, Stella’s friends become the target of Sara’s rage and one by one their worst fears hunt them down and abducts them. As Stella and Ramón set out to find the truth about Sara’s past in an attempt to stop her from continuing this horrible spell, they must also try to save their friends before it’s too late. Stella finally confronts Sara face to face as she becomes the next victim. She makes a deal with Sara to write her truth and tell the world what really happened to her, in exchange for relinquishing the spell. I don’t want to completely spoil it for you but as the film ends, you find out why Sara was locked away and the backstory of Stella and Ramón’s characters are revealed. I can see Part 2 coming as Stella is determined to bring her friends back.
This is a great film with a good solid storyline and beautiful special effects. I love the cast who beautifully brought these characters to life in a fun, humorous but believable way. The film, however, is NOT scary, you will not jump out of your seat or scream, but I have to admit I wanted to and I will definitely be back for part two!
In Theaters Friday, August 9th
