The 16 Most Chilling Illustrations From Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

By Ryan Roschke

Updated on 8/15/2019 at 12:00 PM

Now that the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark movie has arrived, we'd like to take you to the root of it all, aka the books themselves. As you may recall, the books were redone with new illustrations a couple years ago, much to the chagrin of the series's die-hard fans. Well, we're going all the way back to the original art, just to remind you how truly unsettling and horrifying they were. Keep reading and prepare for a nightmare or two as you peruse each illustration with its story title.

"Is Something Wrong?" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"Is Something Wrong?"

Oh, yes! Thank you for asking! Something is very, VERY wrong.

"Bess" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"Bess"

Ah yes, good ol' Bess. Just casually haunting your nightmares like it's no big deal.

"The Bride" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"The Bride"

By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you eternally horrified.

"T-H-U-P-P-P-P-P-P-P!" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"T-H-U-P-P-P-P-P-P-P!"

Fun fact: this was supposed to be one of the "funny" stories.

"The Red Spot" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"The Red Spot"

Never popping a pimple ever again. NEVER.

"Sam's New Pet" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"Sam's New Pet"

Sit. Roll over. Play dead. Please play dead.

"The Haunted House" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"The Haunted House"

You . . . uh . . . got something on your eye. You know what? Never mind. Forget I said anything.

"Harold" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"Harold"

Scarecrow? More like scarred-for-life-crow.

"The Big Toe" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"The Big Toe"

See that thing in the ground there? Don't touch it. Just don't. Actually, don't even look at it.

"No Thanks" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"No Thanks"

No, but seriously. No thank you. I SAID NO THANK YOU.

"The Dead Hand" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"The Dead Hand"

Uh, yeah, don't even know where to start with this one.

"Rings on Her Fingers" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"Rings on Her Fingers"

If he liked it, then he should have put a ring on it. Chances are he ran away screaming, though.

"The Trouble" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"The Trouble"

Did anyone else always think this looked like cheese? Like scary, floating, moldy cheese. Which is awful.

"Oh, Susannah!" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"Oh, Susannah!"

Fancy meeting you here! I must go now. I need to be literally anywhere else that isn't here.

"Wonderful Sausage" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"Wonderful Sausage"

It's just, like, where are you even going to put that?

"Cold as Clay" — HarperCollins | Stephen Gammell

"Cold as Clay"

Yeah, let's just go ahead and put that lid back on and slowly walk away.