Acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro is bringing one of the scariest book series for children to life.

Del Toro has written the screenplay for 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' while André Øvredal has taken over directing duties. Del Toro of course has been one of Hollywood's most sought after directors, having done everything from 'Pan's Labyrinth', 'Hellboy', and 'The Shape of Water' - to Disney's newest live-action version of 'Pinoccio' which is in pre-production. Øvredal is a little more unknown, but has a strong horror CV of 'Trollhunter' and 'The Autopsy of Jane Doe'.

The pair's newest horror movie 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark', is based on the classic children's novels that you might remember reading before (with the light on) during the 80's and 90's. Written by Alvin Schwartz, the three novels were a collection of short horror stories, involving all types of creatures and ghouls, featuring titles such as as 'The Big Toe' and 'The Ghost with the Bloody Fingers'. And it goes without saying, the new trailer for the movie looks absolutely terrifying.

The official synopsis for the movie goes like this:

It’s 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind...but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time—stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying home.

'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' hits theatres this August.