In the same vein as R.L. Stine's Goosebumps, the Netflix original family horror/fantasy film Nightbooks is a fun Halloweentime affair for everyone to enjoy. Much of the appeal derives from the compelling lead character Alex (Winslow Fegley), a young horror enthusiast lured into a witch's apartment in order to provide her with his collection of spook stories.
While there aren't all that many characters in the film, Alex meets a few allies and enemies along the way that help him not evade the wicked witch's clutch, but also help him find the courage to be himself and embrace his morbid sensibilities.
Todd
Todd is the central character in Alex's first short horror story The Playground, which he relays to the witch Natacha (Krysten Ritter) for her entertainment. While fictitious, sympathy is conjured for Todd when he becomes trapped in a purgatorial playground where lost souls wander.
Natacha discredits the happy ending of the story and forces Alex to kill the character off instead of allowing him to escape unscathed. This is a jarring consequence for Alex, who must abide by Natacha's rules or else face severe punishment. In addition to the impact that it has on Alex, the way in which Todd sadly reunites with a former girlfriend as a ghost stuck in limbo is lasting sorrowful.
Evil Sorcerer
Included almost purely for its creepy visual aesthetic, the Evil Sorcerer (Steven R. Hart) is one of the villains of Alex's subsequent short horror story, Bindweed. The story entails an unnamed Peasant Girl (Riley O'Donnell) whose village is accursed by the Evil Sorcerer, only to be tricked and undone by a gigantic monster.
Because Alex can no longer write happy endings into his horror stories, he creatively rewrites the tale so that the Evil Sorcerer becomes an evil victim rather than the primary assailant, which comes as quite an unpredictable twist that proves Alex's writing talent. But more than anything, it's the freakish devil-horns, pallid skin, scary black mask, and draping cape that make the character so memorable.
Unicorn Girl
When Alex is forced to write a new horror story every night, he struggles to overcome writer's block. To help, he begins digging through books in Natacha's library, where he finds hidden messages written by a mysterious figure that goes by the moniker Unicorn Girl. While invisible, Unicorn Girl provides key intel to Alex in how to deal with the witch while also rekindling his creative fire.
Alas, Natacha later reveals that she is Unicorn Girl. Or, at least, Unicorn Girl represents her innocent childhood and a time of happiness prior to being corrupted by dark forces of evil. Because of Unicorn Girl's helpful notes, Alex discovers a sleeping potion recipe which he uses to steal Natacha's keys and mount an escape.
Grizelda The Sleeping Witch
While Natacha is presented as the evil antagonist for much of the film, in the end, a deeply disturbing decrepit Sleeping Witch named Grizelda (Jill Frappier) rises from a coffin in the middle of the apartment and begins to ferociously accost Alex, Yazmin, and even Natacha. The ghoulish return is a result of Alex's latest literary happy ending, prompting a harrowing chase throughout the apartment.
Grizelda is the scariest witch character in the film and offers a great final surge of adrenaline-fueled terror as the third act ramps up. The import? The whole story has been akin to a reverse Hansel and Gretel, with the Sleeping Witch getting her baked just desserts in the end.
Yazmin
Yazmin (Lidya Jewett) is one of the two central human characters in the film. While a bit icy toward Alex at first, Yasmin slowly warms up to the boy as a true friend and caring ally who relays her experience in Natacha's apartment to concoct an escape plan.
Although Alex is stuck in his own horror story by being trapped in the apartment, Alex expresses how he considers meeting Yaz to be a happy ending. Aside from assisting Alex at every turn, Yaz bravely uses Natacha's magic perfume bottle to exit the apartment and ultimately trap the sleeping witch in the furnace. Most importantly, Yaz accepts Alex for who he is and gives him a new notebook so he can continue to pen horror stories.
Natacha
Colored with high camp and kitsch, Krysten Ritter has a blast playing the evil enchantress Natacha, a craven witch who abducts children needs unhappy scary stories to keep her morale up. As the main foe who incites the entire story, Natacha's candy-filled cottage, magical perfume elixir, and colorful costumes make her seductively menacing as a powerful movie witch.
Natacha's evil side is informed by her own accursed childhood as Unicorn Girl, a kidnapped child forced to complete the same tasks as Alex does in the story. While hardly sympathetic, Natacha's backstory hints at a tinge of lost humanity that Alex hopes to avoid. Most of all, she knows exactly what type of movie she is in and has an absolute ball portraying the wicked witch.
Lenore
Stealing the entire show in Nightbooks is Lenore (Cleo & Trixie), Natacha's cute, cunning, hairless pet Sphynx cat that betrays the witch to become Alex's close companion. While the CG renditions are a bit much, Lenore's hilarious facial reactions provide some of the film's biggest laughs.
When Lenore gets into physical harm, Alex saves her life at least two different times, forcing the kitty to betray its wicked owner and ultimately return the favor. With a great Halloweentime look that increases the holiday vibe, Lenore is certainly the best onscreen cat companion and most compelling non-human character in the movie.
Alex
Nightbooks is Alex's story through and through. In a coming-of-age tale meant to teach Alex the importance of staying true to himself no matter what others think, Alex is able to overcome his deepest insecurities, make new friends, and continue to pursue his creative writing endeavors.
Aside from being the main protagonist who the audience implicitly roots for from the jump, Nightbooks works almost solely due to the terrific performance by Winslow Fegley as Alex. Between the genuinely funny facial reactions that he gives to the heartened soliloquies that he gives, Alex is the main reason why anyone would want to open Nightbooks and see it to the end.