I was constantly up and down and down and up on this movie… I couldn’t decide if I low-key enjoyed it or if I was actively bored. Seemed to shift every ten minutes. So it’s a real mixed bag but I think I ultimately came down to respecting its charm and devotion to scary fun.

Nightbooks is about a kid who really loves horror, including writing short stories. Lured by a tv playing The Lost Boys in a neighboring apartment, he is trapped by a judgmental fashionista witch (played with fabulous, sneering glee by Krysten Ritter) who demand he read her stories every night… or else.

This is a kids horror movie that actually manages to both be good natured creepy and a little actually ghastly at the same time. It’s darker than I would have expected while still maintaining a close-enough-to-family appeal. It’s got teeth… even if they are just novelty vampire fangs.

Unfortunately, I was often bored by segment of the movie and that’s really unfortunate. I’m not sure what was going on with the pacing of the film, but every once in a while, it got pretty interesting and I’d be involved. And then it slips back into some real sluggish pacing.

I do admire the movie’s devotion to classic horror. Posters of great 80s horror movies adorns the kid’s walls. Though I do find it weird how the flick uses actual footage of The Lost Boys plus two versions of Cry Little Sister (theme song from Lost Boys). Except for being in similar horror/comedy genres, there’s no connective tissue between the two movies (not to mention Lost Boys is pretty decently Rated R). But, hey, the first use of Cry Little Sister was kind of bad-ass.

Overall, this is a decent Netflix film that younger folk might enjoy without a problem and older folk might be a bit more mixed on. I think it’s a pretty fun movie that skews a little darker than most kid horror goes. And Krysten Ritter is having more fun than the law allows. Maybe check it out.

Score: 76