Nightbooks -- Sam Raimi for Kids!

 


Name: Nightbooks

Directed By: David Yarovesky 

Subgenre: PG-13 Fantasy, Creature Feature

Series: Spooktober 2021 entry #8; review #101

Review: Nightbooks is Sam Raimi, but for kids. There, no burying the lede with this one.

Given that this is the first review of a brand new set of hundred, I figured I might tread along the path I carved for myself way back in 2018 with my very first review: The House with a Clock in Its Walls. I had gone to see that film in theaters a few days in to October and it prompted the idea to participate in Spooktober and, well, here we are. While it's not the intended theme of the blog overall, I've got a soft spot for horror media aimed at younger audiences: it brings me back to the years when I was a weird kid reading the likes of Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and staying up late to watch Are You Afraid of the Dark. After watching Nightbooks, you might understand why I empathize with our young sir, Alex. You see, Alex is another weird kid, and not just because he's a miniaturized Patton Oswalt; Alex is weird because he's a bit too obsessed with horror. Alex is so in love with the genre that he spends a good chunk of his free time writing new scary stories. Well, we open with mini-Oswalt threatening to get rid of every bit of horror memorabilia that he owns, including his beloved "nightbooks;" he runs away from his concerned parents, into a nearby elevator, and winds up on a dark, unfamiliar floor. There, he finds a nice, warm slice of pumpkin pie waiting for him in front of a T.V. playing one of his favorite horror movies. Alex takes a bit of the piece, passes out, and wakes up to find a glam-goth Jessica Jones lording over him and threatening to kill him with magic unless you can prove himself useful to her. She's a witch, and she needs children to do her dark bidding. Alex is subsequently recruited as her new Storyteller--good thing he had those nightbooks on hand!

"Every good story hints at the truth. The more truth, the more powerful the story."





From there, we follow Alex as he teams up with fellow child captive, Yasmin, as they desperately try to escape from the witch. In order to do that, they have to play their roles, at least until they can find out a better plan. This arc of the film showcases Alex's various stories in an enthralling Raimi-esque style, and his influence will only grow more evident as the story progresses. Frankly, I wish we could have had a few more of these tales as the style was so unique and compelling. The film juts between Alex feeding the witch his tales of darkness and the duo working to figure out a plan, including several scenes in the witch's night-garden: a fantastical place that manages to combine whimsy and dark-fantasy. Here, we're introduced to one of a few creatures in the tale, and for such a small thing, it's actually fairly creepy even for being targeted at kids. But, it's what happens after the kids finish their research that really seals the Nightbooks as quite possibly the best horror movie aimed at younger audiences I've ever seen. It's technically rated PG, but those limits are pushed hard. And for not being directed by Sam Raimi, it might have well been, especially with how the final act plays out. And in characteristic Raimi fashion, mounting horror is broken up by bits of comedy; in Nightbooks, some of the jokes are clearly for younger audiences (there be a poop in yonder film), but some bits are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. Or, maybe I'm just immature. Jury's still out on that one. Nightbooks is Sam Raimi, but for kids--and it is a nearly perfect horror movie for younger (or more squeamish) audiences. Be warned, though: the horror scenes are considerably more scary than some of the other PG-13 films I've covered. Oh, and if you do watch this with your kids, there's a good chance that they'll develop a pathological love of dim, sprawling libraries.




Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5 Chads huffing blue mist. Did Nightbooks scare you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

IMDB: Here

How to Watch: Nightbooks is available on these platforms.


Official Trailer



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