'Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark' is a planned big-screen adaptation of Alvin Schwartz' trilogy of horror children's books. Acclaimed dark fantasy director Guillermo del Toro expressed his enthusiasm over bringing the books to life.

According to Escapist Magazine, acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro recently announced his plans to produce a big-screen adaptation of Alvin Schwartz' controversial children's books published from 1981 to 1991.

The trilogy of books authored by Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell drew heavily from urban legend and folklore influence. They were listed as one of the "most challenged" books by the American Library Association for its violent content. The books were deemed too scary for children.

Del Toro announced the news on Twiiter on January 15. He shared a photograph of himself pointing to a couple of morbid looking illustrations hanging on the wall. It was captioned, "I start development on a film based on a favorite book of youth: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark!"

It remains unclear if the filmmaker will be directing the adaptation as well. According to Movies.ie, he will be co-producing the planned film alongside Sean Daniel, Jason Brown and Elizabeth Grave with John August providing the screenplay.

Another article by Deadline reported that del Toro was such a huge fan of the books that he owns ten original nightmarish illustrations from Gammell himself. As of the present, the trilogy has sold seven million copies worldwide.

The Mexican film maker is best known for his dark pieces including the gothic horror film 'The Devil's Backbone' and the dark fantasy film 'Pan's Labyrinth'. He has also worked on several mainstream movies including 'Blade II', 'Hellboy' and 'Pacific Rim'.

Besides directorial work, he also written for and produced several highly successful films such as 'The Hobbit' cinematic adaptations. His most recent work, 'Crimson Peak', received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. It starred Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska.

'Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark' is a planned big-screen adaptation of Alvin Schwartz' trilogy of horror children's books from the early '80s through the early '90s. The original books were a collection of short stories inspired by urban legends and folktales.