Alex Mosher (Winslow Fegley) enjoys writing horror stories, but those around him, such as his parents and friends, are perplexed by his unusual obsession with scary movies and books. Alex feels humiliated as a result of that. So he decided that writing was not for him and that it was time to burn all of the stories he had created.
As he heads down to the burner to destroy his so-called Night Book, the elevator mysteriously stops on a strange floor where he discovers a creepy apartment. He enters it. But it turns out that the room was cursed, and that anyone who stepped inside would be trapped with a wicked witch.
Natacha (Krysten Ritter), the witch, enjoys reading and listening to scary stories. She had lived inside the apartment for so long that she had read all of the published horror stories in its vast library.
According to her servant, Yasmin (Lidya Jewett), Natacha is extremely cruel to children who are unable to entertain her with their stories. Alex is now forced to create compelling horror stories every day to survive. Luckily, he discovers something that may help him escape.
Because of restrictions in visuals and storytelling, PG horror films tend to be bad and boring. But director David Yarovesky made this kid’s film entertaining as possible by incorporating elements and techniques from classic films while also adding his own personal touch. Given that Netflix's track record in producing horror films is terrible, this film far exceeded all expectations.
“Nightbooks” is a decent fairytale-ish horror film that aims to introduce the horror genre to a younger audience. Despite its PG rating, this film is dark, creepy, and suspenseful in all good ways. It'll remind you of "Goosebumps" and "Are You Afraid of the Dark," but with lesser monsters and more twists and surprises.
Krysten Ritter easily takes the spotlight in this film. Her screen presence is alluring, eccentric, campy, and entertaining. The two kids also gave what they got; their chemistry is flawless, and they act and speak as if their lives really depend on it, making us care even more about their predicament.
The issue I have with “Nightbooks” is the lack of consistency. A lot of the time, it feels like it's going to be something really exciting, like when Alex discovers some secrets within the pages of books. But then it goes back to Alex's writer's block dilemma, Yazmine's trust issue, and the Witch's need for a good story. For some reason, it keeps returning to the old narrative after finding a way to move forward. That is why, even though it is only an hour and a half long, it feels like it lasted two hours.
Ghost House Pictures appears to be so tense in its approach to family-centric horror that there is no balance between scare and sense of humor. Until "Nightbooks," the Sam Raimi production company had never made a family-friendly horror film. So expect that this film will have flaws in terms of identity.
In conclusion, “Nightbooks” is the epitome of a contemporary, scary children's film. It's full of terrifying sequences that will make younger kids shiver. But it focused so much on delivering the scare that it affected the movie’s levity, which in hindsight is an opportunity missed. Nevertheless, it is still a nice movie to watch with your family.
3/5
"Nightbooks" is available to watch on Netflix.