Horror logo

Nightbooks - A Netflix Movie Review

If you’re looking for a new film to watch during the Halloween season, 'Nightbooks' is your family.

By Marielle SabbagPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
Like

Did you say scary stories? I want you to read a scary story to me every night.

Nightbooks was released to Netflix in 2021. Running away from home because he feels misunderstood, Alex is imprisoned by an evil young witch. Intrigued by his interest in writing scary stories, the witch makes a deal with Alex to have him read her a scary story every night.

As October gets closer, I always enjoy watching new Halloween films. Nightbooks is a fun Netflix film. It’s a creative re-telling of Hansel and Gretal. Nightbooks encourage viewers to be themselves. You never know, your passion just may save your life.

We can all relate to Alex in some way. Obsessed with writing scary stories or anything related to it, Alex fears that he doesn’t fit in. Winslow Figley does an excellent job embracing this role, but some of his deliveries were unnatural. For example, he spends a great deal of time talking to himself, pointing out the obvious.

I adored the friendship between Alex and Yazmin (Lidya Jewett). What friendship doesn’t have sarcastic interactions as its main ingredient? As another one of the witch’s victims, Yazmin has lost hope of freedom. Jewett was also wonderful in the interpretation of her character, learning to trust Alex. Friendship is the most powerful tool to save your life from any situation.

Krysten Ritter had a ball as Natacha, the witch. She has quite the wardrobe. Terrific in her sinister behavior at the witch, my favorite moments of all were when she’d interrupt Alex’s stories to give her own commentary about how scary stories work. Overall, Ritter was my favorite performance.

Filmmakers designed a cool and gothic world. The library was my favorite set. I wanted to read all the books that were on the shelves. The long spiral staircase added to the dark mood of the story.

I especially like the editing for when Alex reads aloud the stories from his nightbooks. It’s a film for kids so it has to be goofy and scary from a child’s perspective. Nightbooks has the right mixture of scary scenes and entertainment. There’s a lot of fantasy and magic throughout.

Up until a point, Nightbooks is original. While it makes connections to a well-known fable, it stole a segment from another film in the climax. The writers created a great twist with one of the characters. Now I would like to see a spinoff with the story of this character because it had a lot of layers.

David Yaronvesky did a great job carrying out the tone of the film, keeping it in the eyes of a child. The pacing was also good. There’s never a dull moment in the story. I noticed that a lot of reviews were written by adult eyes. This film is meant to be a kid’s movie.

Most importantly, Yaronvesky sold how it is okay to be you. Growing up is not easy. Eventually, we’ll find who we are and people who accept us for who we are. Be happy with who you are.

Nightbooks is a film for writers which appealed to me. A lot of focus goes into it. You can make a story about anything. Only, the difficult part is trying to figure out what to write. Every good story hints at the truth. That’s an inspiring takeaway.

If you’re looking for a new film to watch during the Halloween season, Nightbooks is your family. It was better than to be expected. Be warned that young children may find it scary. Otherwise, it is a fun film that will make you laugh.

movie review
Like

About the Creator

Marielle Sabbag

Writing has been my passion since I was 11 years old. I love creating stories from fiction, poetry, fanfiction. I enjoy writing movie reviews. I would love to become a creative writing teacher and leave the world inspiring minds.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.