Nightbooks | Third Space
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Nightbooks

Read me a scary story
Thu 16 Sep 2021
Alt

3 out of 5 stars

As the Halloween season approaches, the world gets taken over by the undead, ghosts and witches. One of the fastest markets to celebrate this dark world of ghouls and scares is that of those pesky tweens who are seeking after their own version of terror. Along with Goosebumps and Lemony Snickett, there have become many new characters introduced in books and films. J.A. White’s literary release introduces readers to the witch, Natacha (Krysten Ritter). She is an evil soul who takes children prisoner to have them read to her until she no longer needs their services.

She travels the globe with her bewitched apartment that entices her young victims into her home with their favourite food. Alex (Winslow Fegley) lives in New York City and is known for his love for the macabre. Even though he has been ignored and teased by all of the kids at school for his scary stories, the aspiring writer is undeterred until one fateful night. An event that involves his best friend and a birthday party makes him want to throw all of his tales into the apartment complex’s incinerator. As he heads to the basement, the young horror writer is drawn into an apartment that smells of pie and as he enters, the door locks behind him.

Alex quickly gets his bearings and realises that he is in an enchanted dwelling with an extensive library of dark narratives that is home to a witch with specific needs. Natacha will keep him alive if he writes her a new scary story every day. With the aid of another young prisoner named Yazmin (Lidya Jewett) and under the watchful eye of a cat who can become invisible, Alex must figure out how to escape. Each day becomes a race against the clock to uncover the secrets of the magical prison and write unique tales of the darker sides of life. Can the young pair find their way to freedom from the vicious control of their magical captor?

Fresh off his successful turns as Timothy Failure on Disney+, Winslow Fegley is proving to be the quintessential loveable outcast of Hollywood. This young actor has an undeniable appeal and demonstrates that he can carry a whole production on his shoulders. By tapping into all of those outliers in middle school, he is the latest actor who manages to make being a nerd cool again. Despite the storyline being predictable in many ways, there is a freshness to the writing that will draw in the intended youthful audience. One that prefers their stories to come out of the shadows with fear as their intention

J.A. White’s tale of wickedness has its roots go deep into the classic Grimm tales that rarely finished with a happy ending. He polishes off these long-standing stories and adds a modern twist that will appeal to all of those fans who consume these books with a voracious appetite. The author’s creation of the witch Natacha makes for the perfect antagonist and the perfect inclusion in the nightmares of a new generation. Krysten Ritter seems to relish her latest character and it would not be surprising for this to become a Netflix franchise to haunt the lives of more young people in the years to come.

What should parents know about Nightbooks? The book and movie are written for the fans of witches, scary creatures and children who try to outwit their adult captors. It could be used as an incentive for parents to teach their children to never accept food or enter the home of strangers. Parents will need to determine if they want their children exposed to the darker and evil elements that prove disturbing on numerous levels.

For those who choose to watch this film with your children, it could lead to different discussions on the value of creativity and how to keep an eye out for those who want to cause you harm. Also, it is one that the parents can enjoy with their kids during this season that is inhabited by the darker creatures of the literary world.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! - Isaiah 5:20

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