Nightbooks, 2021 (Fantasy Horror) - Horror Movies Reviews

This is an American dark fantasy movie of director David Yarovesky with the writer Tobias Iaconis and Mikki Daughtry. It is from the horror-fantasy kid’s book of 2018 of the same name.

Cast Lists

Winslow Fegley performed as Alex, the young boy with the penchant for terrifying tales who plots to flee the clutches of the devil witch.

Lidya Jewett performed as Yazmin, the lass who had been trapped and lured inside by the witch years ago, then, she was obliged to become the housemaid until Alex entered her life.

Krysten Ritter performed as Natacha, the witch who kidnapped children and was the captor of Yazmin and Alex.

Neil Emmanuel Lu performed as Josh

Narrative

Alex Mosher, the young boy from the Brooklyn, NY, loves to write horror stories, sworn to never do and write another one because of his parents’ concern of his mental health. Alex trashed his room and grabbed his “Night books”—the collections of self-written horror stories—and sneaked-out of the apartment while the parents are talking. Alex took the elevator to his center’s heater to burn them. Just before reaching the furnace area, he passed the apartment with the open entry that bewitches him to enter. The apartment entry shuts behind him, then, disappears.

He woke up to see himself in a magical apartment of the witch called as Natacha. She threatened him with the magic and informed him that the apartment tempted kids into it and those who are only useful to her will be kept alive. She was intrigued by the penchant to write scary stories of Alex and demanded that he write the stories and then read them into her every night, or she will kill him. She placed him to make some labor next to the young lass named Yazmin, who had been similarly lured to the apartment many ago in Washington, then being placed to work as the housekeeper. Alex discovers from Yazmin that this apartment is moving around humanity, and the only exits are either the back or the front door, which responded only to magical keys of Natacha. Yazmin showed Alex the enormous library of the witch and told him Natacha had heard each scary story inside it that is why Natacha gave him the task of writing new ones.

Alex was reluctant and said that he can’t write, although he won’t tell her the reason. Yazmin informed him that Lenore, Natacha’s magical cat, which can be invisible, is spying over them and can tell Natacha everything it sees. Every night, Natacha is not impressed with the stories of Alex’s and demanded that they end the story unhappily. She repeatedly requests Alex to tell her the reasons why he intended of burning his Night books, however, Alex handles to dodge her wishes by distracting her every time. While reading by the collection for inspirations in the library, Alex encountered notes in the various books margins wrote by another trapped lass detailing her attempts of escaping the witch’s house. Her unicorn necklace, her treasured possessions caused him to name her as the “Unicorn Girl”.

Writer’s Notion

It is super mediocre. You would want to watch the latest kid’s movie, but they were all mediocre and off. Just like the old kid’s movies really. The film had better effects and with a bit improved acting. But largely it is not a good movie. The film is really a basic story, their acting is acceptable. The script is really mediocre at best. Normally the characters will just stand around, then, will have nothing to do instead of attempting to get themselves be out of harm that is totally a lazy screenwriting and it felt frustrating. There are lots of witty decisions that can be done here.

My main problem here is that they used many cameras and there are lots of crooked blasts from every angle and you had about a shot in every second. The camera jumped from one place to another even in calm scenario and you will get confused and dizzy everywhere. The acting had been over the top. The characters usually stand around afraid and just looking at the harm side, so you have tons of scenes where kids will just act sad or scream and this is where the movie fails. Both those kids here are good actors in calm scenarios, but when that little boy needed to show any touching range, he’s not that really. The director must have guided the kids and the casts even better that they must made sure that they can act the roles that will fit their skills. As an alternative, the good actor will be forced to act the scenes he’s not skilled enough in doing and the director will clearly guide him, and this will make bad scenes.