I was a little disappointed that the grandfather telling this tall tale from the book was not present in this film. There were many added characters (Sam Sparks and the town Mayor) that were not present in the original yet play a pivotal role in the film. If you never read the book, this is a fun movie of its own. I took my 6 year old and 4 year old to see it. The 6 year old loved it but the 4 year old was pretty scared during the last half hour when the weather goes crazy. There are headless chickens chasing and eating people. I don't know the movie needed that.