Nightbooks

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2:23

Nightbooks

2021

Fantasy

Horror

Kids & Family

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

58%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Alex (Winslow Fegley) is a creative boy with a strong passion for writing scary stories. But when he's labeled weird and rejected for what he likes, he swears he'll never write again. That's when an evil witch (Krysten Ritter), captures him in her magical apartment in New York City and demands that he tell her a new tale every night if he wants to stay alive. Trapped inside with Lenore, the witch's spiteful cat watching his every move, Alex meets Yasmin (Lidya Jewett), another young prisoner who has learned how to survive the witch's wicked whims. With Yasmin's help, Alex must learn to embrace what makes him unique -- his love for scary stories -- and rewrite his own destiny to break them free.

Critics Consensus

Its contents may be a bit busy and overly familiar, but Nightbooks offers a fun -- and actually fairly scary -- gateway to horror for younger viewers.

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Meagan Navarro

Bloody Disgusting

Nightbooks takes a while to warm up, but the back half brings the gateway horror fun. It's for the young and the young at heart, wrapping a very familiar tale in creative horror-fantasy packaging.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 16, 2021

Full Review

Natalia Winkelman

New York Times

Yarovesky has a knack for tricks of light - shadows, neon night vision and motion cast in silhouette - and the movie is at its most deliciously chilling when it favors visual flair over jump scares.

Sep 16, 2021

Full Review

Scott Tobias

Variety

Its whimsical touches, along with a reverence for creative young minds, gives the film a warmth that counterbalances its shocks.

Sep 15, 2021

Full Review

Shannon Connellan

Mashable

'Nightbooks', being a film about writing scary stories, pays notable respect to their long history and the core of what makes a good one.

Jul 28, 2023

Full Review

Zach Pope

Zach Pope Reviews

Didn’t know what I’d get from this one but I got a delightful, horror filled, family movie that reminded me of Goosebumps & Are you afraid of the dark.

Jul 26, 2023

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast

Krysten Ritter is perfectly cast (and outfitted by costume designer Peter P. Nicolakakos) in this fun and entertaining gateway horror film. While the book may be better, I'd happily watch a sequel in a heartbeat

Oct 29, 2021

Full Review

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Logan D

A boy who loves writing horror stories decides to quit after having his hobby disparaged by his peers. After being captured by a witch, however, he is forced to tell more stories for her. Backed by strong performances, especially from Ritter, this is an imaginative film that respects both fairy tales and horror. It does skew to a younger audience. I loved the set design.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

Full Review

Steve D

Ritter alone keeps it working.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

Joel H

I didn't really know what Nightbooks was when my daughter suggested we watch it. However, when my wife mentioned that Sam Raimi was involved with it, I figured it was worth a shot. This movie is made for older children, so the plot is pretty simplistic, but where it really shines in the visuals. It's dark, yet colorful, and the style of the storytelling keeps you engaged. It also manages to sneak in a few genuinely creepy moments that were fun for me, but maybe a little too intense for my youngest children. Nevertheless, Nightbooks was a pleasant surprise. I may have to read J.A. White's book now.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/07/23

Full Review

Gustavo R

This is a modern day Hansel and Gretel with a sprinkle of 1000 Arabian night where the nights are scary stories. I was suspicious about this title because it's a PG movie and normally those are not scary at all. Nice surprise! This one was not completely scary but the story was actually pretty good ! Highly recommended. 10/10 on Netflix forgot to mention that that girl that plays Jessica Jones is on it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/17/23

Full Review

Ethan G

It's nothing new in the area of plot, and at times, the movie doesn't really know what to do with its characters, but "Nightbooks" is a reasonably solidly crafted introduction to surprisingly effective horror for kids.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/03/23

Full Review

Jackie S

Fun time I recommend

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/26/23

Full Review

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David Yarovesky

Director

Winslow Fegley

Alex

Lidya Jewett

Yasmin

Krysten Ritter

Natacha

Mikki Daughtry

Screenwriter

Tobias Iaconis

Screenwriter

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Nightbooks: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Alex (Winslow Fegley) is a creative boy with a strong passion for writing scary stories. But when he's labeled weird and rejected for what he likes, he swears he'll never write again. That's when an evil witch (Krysten Ritter), captures him in her magical apartment in New York City and demands that he tell her a new tale every night if he wants to stay alive. Trapped inside with Lenore, the witch's spiteful cat watching his every move, Alex meets Yasmin (Lidya Jewett), another young prisoner who has learned how to survive the witch's wicked whims. With Yasmin's help, Alex must learn to embrace what makes him unique -- his love for scary stories -- and rewrite his own destiny to break them free.

Director: David Yarovesky
Producer: Sam Raimi, Romel Adam, Mason Novick, Michelle Knudsen
Screenwriter: Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Kids & Family
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 15, 2021