Nightbooks is a 2021 family fantasy horror movie that tells a classic story of an evil witch featured in many fairy tales and films. In this movie, a young boy named Alex finds himself trapped and unable to escape from the clutches of a witch. Read on for a detailed synopsis and review of Nightbooks.
Synopsis:
The story of Nightbooks begins with Alex wanting to burn a book containing all the horror stories he has written. However, when he comes out of the elevator, he sees a door that looks interesting and decides to enter. As he steps inside, he realizes that the door has disappeared, and he is now trapped in a room.
He discovers that the room belongs to Natacha, a witch who has a history of kidnapping children. Initially, Natacha plans to kill Alex as she deems him useless. However, she decides to let him live when Alex tells her that he can write horror stories. She then forces Alex to read her a different horror story every night to satisfy her cravings.
During his captivity, he meets a young girl called Yasmin. She is also a prisoner of Natacha and serves as her cook. Alex and Yasmin together try to find a way to escape from Natacha’s apartment. They eventually discover that a successful escape can be made by giving the witch a sleeping potion, something Unicorn Girl, another victim, had done before.
Alex tricks Natacha into revealing the name of the plant that can be used to make a sleeping potion. They sneak into Natacha’s magical garden to get the plant, hoping it helps them with their escape. However, their plans take a turn for the worse when Alex is unable to write horror stories for Natacha, and Yasmin’s sleeping potion goes missing.
As Natacha gets angry for not getting the story she wanted, she falls asleep due to the sleeping potion’s effect. Lenore, Natacha’s cat, had slipped the potion into Natacha’s magic spray, which she uses frequently. This moment serves as the perfect opportunity for Alex and Yasmin to steal Natacha’s keys and open a secret door. The door leads them to Natacha’s garden, where they discover that they are still trapped in another part of the apartment.
The room bears a striking resemblance to the fairytale house in Hansel and Gretel, and it is where Natacha grows her magic plants. After Natacha wakes up, she chases after Alex and Yasmin. Alex then realizes that Natacha is not the actual witch; in reality, she was once a young girl who was also trapped by the witch and managed to escape. Natacha reveals that her parents had forgotten about her after she left, and hence, she decided to return to the apartment and take the real witch’s place.
Natacha then continues to put the actual witch to sleep with Alex’s horror stories. She then needs Alex to complete the stories with happy endings, which will ultimately wake up the real witch. The movie ends with a fierce battle between Natacha and the actual witch. While Alex and Yasmin try to escape to the elevator of Alex’s parents, they are chased down by the witch. In an attempt to trap the witch, Alex throws his book into the burning furnace, which the witch follows as well.
Conclusion:
Nightbooks is a gripping story that depicts an excellent fight between good and evil. Even though the plot may not be entirely novel in itself, it is still exciting and will keep you curious throughout the movie. With fantastic acting and an intriguing storyline, Nightbooks is a movie worth watching for all horror enthusiasts.
