One of the most exciting genre celebrations in recent years, the Salem Horror Fest kicks off on October 4th, and Daily Dead is thrilled to be a media sponsor of the 10-day event, which will include our conversation with George C. Romero (son of legendary filmmaker George A. Romero), a Daily Dead Trivia Tweetup, and a wide range of screenings, including the New England premiere of Scary Stories, a new documentary exploring the intriguing history and modern-day impact of Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books. Ahead of the documentary's Salem Horror Fest screening on Sunday, October 6th, we caught up with director Cody Meirick for our latest Q&A feature to discuss interviewing R.L. Stine for the film, his personal favorite story from the book series, and the most intriguing details he learned about the Scary Stories books and their creators.
Congratulations on your new documentary, Cody! What was your first introduction to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
Cody Meirick: I’m like a lot of people who discovered the books in the late ’80s and early ’90s. I was about 11–12 years old when the third book came out in 1991, and so I imagine I found it in the Scholastic book order forms like many others. That timeframe was a particularly magical time for kids that were interested in scary things, with Goosebumps really taking off [beginning in 1992] and many films and television shows becoming popular. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark defined that generation of kids in some ways.
What was your favorite story or the one that scared you the most?
Cody Meirick: I often think of the first story from the first book, "The Big Toe." It is one of the most classic scary tales because it comes in many forms: "Tailypo," "The Golden Arm." Mark Twain famously wrote about the “golden arm” story as a particularly interesting example of how to tell a story well. I think Alvin Schwartz chose "The Big Toe" to be the first story for a reason, because he put importance on how a story is told, not just what the story is.
What was it about this series of books that made you want to direct a documentary focused on it?
Cody Meirick: Ultimately I saw a lot to explore. You had a book series that became wildly popular juxtaposed with the fact that it was the most challenged book of the 1990s, the first decade the American Library Association compiled such a list. I could see having fun talking about the illustrations and the stories, but also you have a censorship component that makes it about something larger than just these particular books. So the topic of censorship, along with the illustrations and the folk aspects of the stories, just meant there was bound to be a lot to dive into.
While putting together this documentary, did anything in particular surprise you about the creation of the book?
Cody Meirick: I suspected early on, but it was confirmed that Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell didn’t seem to communicate or collaborate on the books, which isn’t that unusual for children’s books, but the stories and illustrations have become forever linked by people who grew up with the books. Alvin Schwartz did pick Stephen Gammell, who at that time was already a quite established children’s book illustrator.
Also, I think looking at the three books together, both writer and illustrator appeared to show a progression of what they found most interesting in what they do. The source material at the end of the books written by Alvin Schwartz became more and more expansive with each book, with detailed notes and cultural meanings for each story. This is indicative of what interested Schwartz, a former journalist. And Stephen Gammell’s art became more and more surreal with each book. When given more freedom as the books grew in popularity and more sequels were requested, I think both felt the desire to expand based on what they found interesting.
You interviewed dozens of people for this project, including Peter Schwartz and R.L. Stine. Was it easy to get people to talk for this documentary? Who was the most surprising or favorite interview subject?
Cody Meirick: I think it was fairly easy to get people to talk about the books and the topics in general, at least the ones who could be contacted and were accessible. Personally some of the most fun was talking to scholars and librarians, because they immediately latched on to the idea behind the documentary and can go on and on about the topics. If you want to have some fun, talk to a person who has written a book about scary folklore from different traditions, or someone who has written specifically about scary children’s literature or kids' books that explore death and dying over the ages. It’s both fascinating and fun. So, some of those include Maria Tatar of Harvard, Karen Coats of Illinois State, and Martha Gholson of Missouri State.
R.L. Stine and Peter Schwartz were definitely highlights, but for very different reasons. R.L. Stine because I grew up as a fan and he naturally had a lot to say, and Peter Schwartz because he was just very upfront, honest, and enlightening.
Why do you think Alvin Schwartz’s prose and Stephen Gammell’s illustrations have had such a lasting effect on generations of readers?
Cody Meirick: I think like a lot of pop culture and art, it is the magic of the right people at the right time doing the right thing. Alvin Schwartz had many books before these that had varying success. I think he stumbled across the fact that scary stories were naturally engaging for kids after years of interest in folktales and folk humor. Stephen Gammell had great success with children’s books for years before and since, and I don’t think he necessarily considers these books his crowning achievement. But these books, pairing the stories and illustrations, were lightning in a bottle that came along just as the children’s horror subgenre was blowing up in the ’80s and ’90s.
And they hold a mystique that we don’t see with other book series. The author passed away shortly after the third book and the illustrator doesn’t do interviews. So they have become this mysterious title in pop culture. They don’t have someone like an R.L. Stine to do a million interviews and explain the process and story behind the books.
Scary Stories will have its New England premiere at Salem Horror Fest this October. What have the audience reactions been to Scary Stories so far?
Cody Meirick: Quite good! I keep hearing the word “fun,” which for a documentary isn’t a bad word to hear at all. Of course everyone has opinions about what I should have spent more time on. There are over 80 stories and illustrations in the three books, so it’s difficult to spend much time on any one. I tried my best to find a balance between the topics, but also keep it relatively fast-paced and engaging.
Scary Stories recently secured distribution. When and where can fans look forward to seeing it?
Cody Meirick: The release will be 2019, but we’re not quite ready with details yet. I’m showing it at a few more film festivals before then.
With Scary Stories currently screening at festivals, do you have any other projects coming up that you can talk about? Where can our readers keep up to date on Scary Stories and your other work?
Cody Meirick: You can get updates and details at ScaryStoriesDoc.com. I have another documentary idea that I’m in the beginning stages of, and I have an outline for a narrative film, basically a horror film that touches on the Me Too movement. I’m nudging both of them along and seeing what develops.
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