Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was produced by Guillermo del Toro (
Hellboy) and directed by acclaimed filmmaker André Øvredal (
Trollhunters). Set in 1968 America, the events of the movie take place in the small town of Mill Valley where Sarah Bellows, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time.
When a group of teenagers discover the book in the mansion on the edge of town, the stories become real, and they're faced with a series of terrifying monsters in one of 2019's scariest movies.
To mark
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark's Digital release today (it arrives on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand November 5th), we recently caught up with star Michael Garza (Ramón Morales) to talk about what it was like to star in this terrifying tale as well as ways the franchise could expand moving forward, and, of course, whether he'd like to join the Marvel or DC Cinematic Universes!
We'd like to extend a huge thank you to Michael for taking the time to talk to us, and highly recommend checking the movie out now it's available to buy. You can check out a trailer below!
I've read that your casting was fairly last-minute so what was it like for you to join Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark at that late stage and did it present any particular challenges?
[It was] pretty overwhelming! I was cast literally just five days before filming began. I had auditioned and then I didn't hear anything for about two months and then I noticed that they re-released the role so I sent in a tape and literally within a day or so had to come to Toronto and then I did that and a couple of days later, I booked it and they were like, 'Okay, you have to be on set in five days!' I was like, 'Okay!' [Laughs] It was really overwhelming and really crazy to book the lead in a movie and be like, 'But I have to work on my character!' [Laughs] It was really tight.
This is a horror movie that actually spends some time familiarising us with the characters so how satisfying is it as an actor to get the chance to play someone with more depth than a typical horror protagonist?
I think that's what's so special about this movie. You really spend time with these characters and understand their fears and relate and/or sympathise with them. It was really exciting because I had never played a character that had so much depth. It was interesting to dive head first and see what I could do with it. The best horror movies are the ones where your feel something for the characters.
The monsters in the movie are terrifying on screen, but what is it like being on set with the actors when they're in those costumes?
They're terrifying in real-life as well! [Laughs] As an actor, technicality-wise, it makes my job easier because when I see Troy James dressed as Jangly Man coming after me doing a spider crawl, I'm genuinely scared. Working with them was great and they're all amazing performers. The funniest moments were just to see them sitting in their cast chairs drinking a Sprite with a straw. [Laughs] You're just having a casual conversation with Javier Botet and Big Toe...working with them was great as an actor and as people.
Are you a believer in the paranormal, and did working on the movie have any sort of lasting impact on you?
[Laughs] Yeah, I totally believe in the supernatural and spirits and all that. I'm totally there for that. Working on the movie, it would have been terrifying if everybody wasn't so nice. Although we did film in a real penitentiary in St. Thomas, Ontario. That was pretty scary to be in an abandoned complex that large. I'm glad I didn't have to have nightmares after filming!
How easy it to have fun with your fellow cast members on a film that's so intense and frightening?
Yeah, it's all about who you're working with. Luckily, everyone was so welcoming and so nice. I spent a lot of my time with Zoe and she's an incredible actress and a sweet human being. Working with everybody and having true chemistry...I hope that comes through in the movie as we all genuinely like each other and there was no drama. It was all very good bonding and fun.
In the movie, Ramón doesn't want to go to the police because he's worried that he'll be discriminated against. How important was it to you to be able to touch on themes like that here?
With this specific movie, Guillermo was adamant about two things. It had to take place in the 60s and he wanted to follow the creature designs accurately...and it had to be PG-13, so I guess three, [Laughs] Stella starts the movie with "Stories hurt, stories heal" and stories we tell about each other, if they're negative, can be very damaging. So, to have Ramón's character in here adds a complexity to the story. Tackling this character was interesting because he had to play it very cool but, at the end of the day, he's a lost kid who just doesn't want to go to war. So, with interactions like with Sheriff Turner and Tommy, he's just very aware of the inherent racism in 1960s America.
With so many amazing monsters in the film, it feels like an entire shared universe of horror movies spinning out of this one similar to The Conjuring could happen. Is that something you'd consider committing to?
Oh yeah, for sure. I love the books and I think what Alvin Schwartz created was incredible and truly terrifying and there are definitely a lot of stories, so we will see.
The movie also sets the stage for a sequel, so is that something you would specifically be interested in returning for should the opportunity present itself?
I would totally be down for that...we'll see what happens. I'm not sure! Yeah, fingers crossed.
Were there any memorable scenes you worked on that didn't make it into the final cut?
There were actually quite a few scenes between me and Stella which didn't make the final cut but I think, overall, I think André Øvredal and our editor, Patrick Larsgaard, did a really good job of putting it all together and I'm a big fan of how it all turned out. There are a lot of fun moments and action scenes.
The Jangly Man pursuing your character near the end of the movie is seriously intense – can you talk us through what it was like to shoot that sequence?
He was just chasing me around! [Laughs] He's a true athlete, Troy James. He can do a lot of things with his body which are just so cool but so terrifying. Them being practical, created by Norman Cabrera and Mike Hill, it made my job easier by working with him. The Bellows House was a really cool set. It was on a sound stage, so to be able to go into all these rooms and have them chase me through the house was really fun.
Your character lives, but the downside there is that you didn't get one of those twisted death scenes...do you regret missing out in that respect?
I don't regret not dying! [Laughs] I think it would have been really cool. I think Tommy's death was coolest because he got to turn into a scarecrow. I think that would be pretty cool so if I had to choose one it would be his. [Laughs]
I have to ask – are superhero movies something you're interested in and would you like to appear in a Marvel or DC movie?
Yeah! That's something that's so wild to even think about as an actor because we just want to work. If the character and the script was great, that's something I would definitely consider. Those movies are so big and so great.
That genre dominates theaters and is becoming increasingly more diverse. Is that something you're glad to see happen at last?
I think what is really important to me about this movie is that there was a Latino lead as a leading guy which is pretty cool. I think anytime anyone gets an opportunity is really great thing and it's important, for sure.
If there anything, in particular, you're looking forward to fans getting to see on the Blu-ray?
There's a lot of cool behind the scenes in terms of creating the monsters with Pale Lady, Jangly Man, and Big Toe. That will be really exciting for them to see to get that process of Mike Hill and Guillermo Del Toro creating these terrifying monsters.