Nightbooks Cast & Character Guide | Screen Rant
Netflix's family-friendly fantasy horror movie Nightbooks is now streaming, and here's a guide to the cast and characters of the spooky film. The film is based on the children's horror book of the same name written by J.A. White and released in 2018. Netflix's Nightbooks movie began development in 2019 as the streaming service moved quickly to turn the popular novel into a live-action film that families can stream.
The story of Nightbooks revolves around a young boy named Alex, a horror-obsessed kid who runs away from home after a failed birthday party. After being lured with a piece of pie and The Lost Boys playing on the TV, Alex wanders into a mysterious apartment during his escape. Little does Alex know that this apartment is the dwelling place of a powerful witch named Natacha, who Alex must tell a scary story to every night or face his possible death. Thankfully he has his notebook of self-crafted horror tales in hand, but he soon experiences serious writer's block. Alex then teams up with the witch's servant, and the two of them attempt to devise a plan to escape from her clutches and return to their regular lives.
Nightbooks is directed by Brightburn's director David Yarovesky and produced by horror movie aficionado Sam Raimi, with writing duo Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis (The Curse of La Llorona, Five Feet Apart) adapting the source material. They are the talent behind the camera, and here is who viewers will see in Nightbooks, including where the actors might be known from.
Winslow Fegley plays the lead role of Alex in the Nightbooks movie adaptation. He claims to not like scary stories anymore due to what happened at his birthday party, but he is an avid writer of his own stories. Fegley's first major role came in Disney's Fast Layne series, where he played Mel in all eight episodes. He then landed the lead role in Disney+'s original film Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. Fegley more recently had a supporting role in another horror movie, Come Play, starring Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.
Lidya Jewett plays Yasmin, the witch's servant, in Nightbooks. She has been trapped in the apartment for multiple years and develops a friendship with Alex during the movie. Jewett has had several acting roles in the past, such as young Katherine Coleman in Hidden Figures and young Nakia in Black Panther. She's also been in Nickelodeon's WITS Academy, Wonder, The Darkest Minds, and Good Girls.
Nightbooks' cast also features Krysten Ritter playing the main witch named Natacha. It is Ritter's witch, who Alex has to read a story to every night, and she uses her magical powers and knowledge to keep him and Yasmin from escaping. Ritter is best known for playing Jessica Jones in Jessica Jones and The Defenders. She is also known for playing Jane in Breaking Bad, and her lead role in Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. Some of her other notable parts include Veronica Mars (the show and movie) and Gilmore Girls.
- Jess Brown as Mom: The Blink Twice and The Toll actress plays Alex's mom at the beginning and end of Nightbooks.
- Mathieu Bourassa as Dad: Alex's dad is played sparingly in Nightbooks by Bourassa, who previously appeared in Frankie Drake Mysteries.
- Jill Frappier as Grizelda: Jill Frappier plays the old witch Grizelda in Nightbooks. She's recently appeared in hit shows like Sex/Life, Kim's Convenience, and Schitt's Creek.