HORROR FOR KIDS: Netflix's NIGHTBOOKS Review
Being a big fan of classic mythology, folklore and surreal landscapes the Netflix Film: Nightbooks looked like my kind of fun, and visually it was.
Based on the book with the same title, by J.A. White, it is a modern fairytale filled with classic folklore tropes. Alex is a young boy with a hobby for writing scary stories, but in a frustrated fit he runs away from home. Tempted into a strange apartment he finds himself trapped in the lair of a witch, Natacha. When he tells her about his hobby she immediately puts him to work telling her a story every night, under the threat that if he doesn’t keep making new stories she will kill him.
The apartment is also inhabited by Yasmin, a fellow child-prisoner, who is forced to cook and clean, and Lenore, a cat that can turn invisible and functions as Natacha’s spy. Along the way Alex makes friends with both to try and make an escape plan, along the way uncovering the secrets of the apartment and Natacha’s power.
Creepily fun, surprisingly intense, this movie is certainly worth a watch even if it is ultimately shallow. Firstly, for a premise based around a child telling a series of short horror stories, there are unfortunately only two told in full. Though a few are told in fragments through montage, it is still lacking it what initially felt like a framework for an anthology-style movie.
Secondly, it has a few events that felt wedged into the narrative without much significance. This does happens with a lot of adaptations because they don’t have the time to properly integrate various plot points as it was in the book. Unfortunately, Alex developing an alliance with Lenore, and the events in the Night Nursery both feel woefully underdeveloped and tacked in merely for their importance to the main plot.
The characterisation of both Alex (Winslow Fegley) and Yasmin (Lidya Jewett) is well formed within the dialogue and the solid acting, but it’s hard to empathise with their struggle because their lives outside the apartment aren’t very well detailed. Alex’s parents have the depth and substance of a shadow (even their character names are just Mom and Dad), and his social life isn’t given much more detail. It feels like the writer’s knew that Alex’s life was clichéd and simplistic, so they gloss over it quickly. However when Alex is made to explain his reasons for abandoning his hobby, it feels forced into the narrative from the witch demanding to know (with uncharacteristic curiosity for her captive). Yasmin’s backstory is even less detailed and largely only amounts to ‘she has a loving family who will be looking for her’.
Natacha is menacing in both poise and fashion
Natacha feels like she has the better characterisation integrated into the narrative, as her history and secrets are gradually hinted at until the big reveal in the climax. Krysten Ritter was also a perfect casting for the role. Though she’s most well-known for her heroic role as Jessica Jones, I found her much better at being a villain, especially one as capricious as this. Her expressions and mannerisms really sell the creepy/cool charm of someone with an immense amount of power and arrogance, and a complete lack of morals.
Aside from her performance, I find the lasting appeal with this movie to be its visual style. The movie excels aesthetically; each room of the apartment is wonderfully detailed with individual charm. Natacha’s costumes are beautifully extravagant and bizarre, and they continually change throughout the movie. The set pieces in the climax (not to spoil anything) are gorgeously surreal, and really help heighten the urgency and intensity of the action.
Even Alex’s stories are visualized with their own unique charm. They are presented in a minimalist format, like a high-school theatre production of a horror play. Painted ply wood for the setting dressing, wreathed in smoke. This nicely segments it from the core setting, especially as it cuts back to the witch as she arrogantly interrupts to correct Alex’s details. It also served well as a visual depiction of Alex’s amateur style and capacity as a storyteller, giving his quaint horror idea a child-like charm.
‘The Playground’, Alex’s story of ghostly children.
Overall, it is a fun, easy watch. Despite the lack of significant character details, the scripting is well paced and the actors do feel sincere and relatable, but honestly the environments and Natacha’s outfits are more likely to be what keeps you watching.
Rating: 5/10
Where to Watch
Netflix
