Horror Movie Review: Nightbooks (2021)

Nightbooks is a 2021 American dark fantasy horror film directed by David Yarovesky and written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis. The film stars Winslow Fegley, Lidya Jewett, and Krysten Ritter.

Alex Mosher, a young boy from Brooklyn, New York who loves to write scary stories, swears to never write another one again due to his parents concerns about his mental health. He trashes his room and grabs his “Nightbooks”. His collection of self-written scary stories. And sneaks out of his apartment while his parents are talking. He takes the elevator to his complex’s furnace intending to burn them. Before he reaches the furnace room, he passes an apartment with an open door that bewitches him into entering. The door to the apartment shuts behind him and disappears.

He awakens to find himself in the magical apartment of a witch named Natacha. They threatens him with her magic. She informs him the apartment lures children into it, but only those who are useful to her are kept alive. She is intrigued by Alex’s penchant for writing scary stories and demands he write her stories and read them to her each night, or she’ll kill him. They put him to work alongside a young girl named Yazmin. Yazmin was similarly lured into the apartment years ago in Washington, and put to work as a housekeeper. Alex learns from Yazmin the apartment moves around the world. Its only exits are the front and back door, which respond only to Natacha’s magical keys.

Yazmin shows Alex the witch’s enormous library, telling him Natacha has heard every scary story in it. This is why Alex has been tasked to write new ones. Alex is reluctant, saying he cannot write, though he will not tell her why. Yazmin informs him they are being spied on by Natacha’s magical cat, Lenore. They can turn invisible and tells her everything.

Can Alex survive? Is it possible to escape? Watch and find out.

What to say about Nightbooks. Well for starters, I really liked it! For a 12 it was pretty scary and pushed boundaries. For a “family” film it was definitely near the edge and you can tell Sam Rami is the producer.

Everyone acted very well, despite the lack of development of their home life and background – especially Yazmin’s. Krysten Ritter did a fantastic job. She fit the role perfectly and was awesome at flipping from mild mannered to eccentric and intimidating. There was a constant sense of unease and dread surrounding her throughout.

I adored the aesthetic and Ritter’s costumes. The gingerbread house was amazing and I very much enjoyed the way the stories were presented. The effects (bar the dodgy CGI) looked great and the “real” witch looked freaky as hell. There was some great practical effects on show with her.

Additionally, Lenore the cat was certainly adorable but I hated the CGI they used in places. It was much better when it was just a real cat. But like with Yazmin, what’s her deal? Where did she come from?

Lastly, although everyone else’s backstory was lacking, Natacha (Ritter) had a great one at least. I loved it and thought it was very original. Not something I’d ever seen before.

Overall, Nightbooks is 100% worth a watch. It’s original, entertaining and aesthetically pleasing.