In honor of the digital release for Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal’s SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, we’re excited to share with you an exclusive featurette that focuses on one of the film’s most terrifying figures, the Pale Lady. Hailing from the final book in author Alvin Schwartz and artist Stephen Gammell’s classic series, Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones, the Pale Lady stands at the center of a nightmare-inspiring story titled “The Dream.”
Based on a tale recounted by Augustus Hare in his autobiography, the Pale Lady is a creepy woman with hair as fine as spider silk, and eyes as black as pitch. In Schwartz and Gammell’s scary story, she invades the dreams of a young woman named Lexi Morgan, and warns her that the place she’s chosen to rest is evil, and that she must run away while she still can.
In this new and exclusive featurette, we’re given a behind-the-scenes look at how the Pale Lady was brought to life for the big screen. The deep-dive begins by revealing that the Pale Lady was constructed out of a full-body suit and mask. Before suiting up, actor Mark Steger – who played both Harold the Scarecrow and the Pale Lady for Scary Stories – had his arms painted to give them a ghostly glow, complete with crimson-colored veins and blackened fingertips. As the crew points out in the video, Steger’s arms were left a normal size as a way of making the Pale Lady’s body appear misshapen and off-kilter. The effect leaves the character looking twisted, uneven, and ultimately horrifying in all of her grotesque glory.
Next, the Pale Lady’s wardrobe is addressed. Just like in the original story, the Pale Lady dons what appears to be a thin, almost translucent nightgown. The frock hangs limply off of her malformed body, and toward her bare feet. As the garment swings just above the ground, it looks as if she’s floating, weightless and eager to haul you away toward dark and churning shadows.
Directed by Øvredal with Guillermo del Toro both co-producing and co-writing, an official plot synopsis for SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK can be found below:
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.
SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK will be available to buy on Digital on October 22. The film will then arrive on Blu-ray Combo Pack, 4K Ultra HD DVD Combo Pack, and On Demand come November 5th.
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