User Reviews

The second of Amazon's Blumhouse collaborations I watched was "Nocturne", a debut feature from writer/director Zu Quirke which, not unlike "Black Box" eschews conventional horror, this time for more of a psychological thriller.

Juliet (Sydney Sweeney) lives under the shadow of her twin sister Vivian (Madison Iseman). Though both are talented pianists, Juliet's demeanour means that Vivian is graduating to Julliard but she is not. Moira (Ji Eun Hwang), their current schools most gifted student, takes her own life, which means the final concerts solo is vacant. Vivian seems the natural person to claim it, until Juliet finds Moira's notebook, a cryptic and dark series of notes, markings and illustrations. The book has an effect on Juliet, increasing her confidence, but how far is she willing to go to claim that solo.

As with "Black Box" I feel that there's lots to admire with this film, but little to love. It does feel like a budget version of "Black Swan", with its story of pressure are the higher end of artistic achievement. The performances from the two leads, Iselman and Sweeney, are really good. Art direction and cinematherapy are decent, the effects - such as they are - aren't bad - though it does help that they often aren't looking for realism, rather part of a fantastic dream type sequence. I do feel like I'm prepared to give the film a whole point for the final shot (to say anything more is a bit too spoilery).

But plot wise it's a bit too humdrum and predictable. You'll be well in advance of Juliet in terms of what is happening and you'll probably see the ending coming a mile off. There are a couple of minor twists that the film doesn't do a great job of disguising and it's all just a little too flat, and lacking in originality and invention to recommend it as worthwhile.

Negatives ultimately outweighed the positives for me, but at least there were positives.

... but remember, music is a blood sport and Juliet shows us why with a powerfully crimson performance as a teenage girl determined to rise to the challenge. Twins sibling rivalry and a piano provides the foundation but the cornerstones are the pressures placed on adolescence, the price of admission to achieving aspirations, the penalties incurred due to high expectations and the effects on others that take place as a consequence. Imaginatively done, if not all that original, it is the composition created by Sydney Sweeney that deserves the credit and a well earned round of applause.

The fourth and in my opinion best of the four announced Blumhouse films for Amazon Prime has arrived with "Nocturne". The film stars Sydney Sweeney and Madison Iseman as twins Juliet and Vivian. Both attend a noted music school and Vivian is a prodigy who has been accepted to Julliard upon completion of her studies.

Juliet had applied only to Julliard but was not accepted and this has caused issues with the faculty who had encouraged her to apply to other schools as well due to the 7% acceptance of Julliard and the longs odds of one or both of them being accepted.

When the top musician at the school kills herself, a spot to do a featured performance at an upcoming showcase arises and Vivian is asked to perform as she is clearly the next in line. Juliet comes into possession of a mysterious notebook filled with strange drawings that belonged to the recently departed former prodigy and she becomes obsessed with the drawings which seem to predict the future and in turn cause her to add drawings of her own to them. This starts a chain of events where Juliet sees a change in personality where she begins to covet her sister's talent, success, boyfriend, and more and begins a chain of events that will upturn their lives.

The film like the prior three Blumhouse Amazon films is not scary nor overly intense but it does have an engaging story and characters which will keep you watching and delivers an entertaining twist on films such as "The Competition" which depict the struggles and conflicts of aspiring musicians.

3.5 stars out of 5

I enjoyed this one, with the creepy faustian deal occuring in the background.

Though why this is so interesting is because they chose to leave things a little vague and open ended. I interpreted this movie in at least 3 different ways, maybe in 4 even.

At the end of the day it is hard to come across well shot movies with good plot beats, audio/music, and solid acting. This one covered the bases very well and has elements of horror woven into it, just enough to keep you on your toes.

The ending was damn creepy as well.

7/10 bravo, good watch.

This movie reminded me of Black Swan and Perfection, but was original enough to be entertaining. Without giving much away, I will say I would have appreciated a bit more explanation on the notebook or the origin of how it came to the first girl. I guess it leaves endless room and questions for sequels and prequels. There is definitely more there to be explained, and it was good enough that I would watch another one to find out more.

The movie started out so well, I thought I was in for a treat. Exceptional camera work and unusual use of sound, together with a compelling plot, this movie seemed to be going places, reminiscent of Roman Polanski's The Tenant.

Unfortunately the tone of the movie shifts with the plot near midpoint from a young student's sense of identity fracturing under the stress of creative disappointment to mundane sibling rivalry.

Generally, the acting is good, so is the direction. This movie could have been so much more.

Very surprised by this film. Not your typical horror but I would say this is way better than most. Solid acting, great use of music, well directed. This is definitely a film that will keep your attention. It is a little slower paced but the mood and setting more than make up for that.

Another reviewer put it well, Sydney Sweeney's performance was great, she was very expressive and the only reason I didn't fall asleep. I also really liked the occasional choir - SHRIEK - note blast when she experienced some trauma (hard to explain if you didn't hear it) The rest of it felt like a bad Shyamalan movie where the writer wanted to give some twist ending that wasn't a twist ending with clues that weren't clues. They spent too much time trying to be clever just to have you say - eh.

* * spoilers * * Was the writer hinting that the entire thing was a dream or just the vision during her fall or was he trying to leave it ambiguous for dummies because of dummies like me who need it spelled out to them? I got the sense that he was just trying to spice up an otherwise standard sibling rivalry movie. I was half expecting one of the students to put their cigarette out on her corpse to express their indifference. Fame? We can't even be bothered by wincing at your shattered body (wow, that's deep, thinking about lowering my score now).

Going into this movie with the anticipation of your typical Blumhouse fair, I was pleasantly surprised by the tasteful camera work and over all quality. Some reviews say that this movie is not your typical horror movie and they would be correct; it's not a horror movie at all. Its more of a 90m arthouse film. The dialogue is drab and despite the cast pulling of a fairly solid performance, there's very little life to be found in the story. Do yourself a favour and find something entertaining to watch.

How good is a deal and what is it worth? To you and to society I reckon. Overall I thought I'd give the movie a 7 out of 10. But the ending really convinced me to go and give it another point. So while the movie is well made overall and Blumhouse has shown us, they do know how to make horror movies and thrillers, it is always nice to see, visually and otherwise.

The actors are really good in it too. Perfect Blue, a Japanese Anime may have handled the theme about fame and what it does to ones psyche better. And it was quite more vivid than this - way more brutal too. But that does not mean there can only be one. This can exist too and have more than a right to be and be watched. If you are interested in what the movie tells, you might not care about what critics have to say anyway

While watching 'Nocturne' it can be really hard not to notice the similarities between this and 'Black Swan'. It's slightly less sexual but the story follows a very similar pattern. To be fair there are far worse films to base yours off. It's just something I noticed. The opening scene of 'Nocturne' sets up some intrigue. It's not a scary or suspenseful scene, but it is strange and leaves you wanting to know why it happened. From there the film sets about telling its story, and does so in a surprisingly compelling way.

I'm not a big music fan (and certainly not classical music) but I didn't find that hindered my enjoyment of the film at all. If that's putting you off seeing the movie I would suggest not to worry about it. The film is a horror, but more in a bizarre way than a suspenseful or gory way. If horror isn't for you, I would say that isn't necessarily a deal-breaker on this one. I could imagine non-horror fans finding a way to enjoy this movie.

Sydney Sweeney was really good in the lead role here. She played a big part in making the film as watchable as it was. She's in every scene so it was very important she got her performance right. I liked 'Nocturne' without ever perhaps loving it. It's worth a look but don't set your expectations too high.

Jealous sister, rivals and the desire to be the best in a tale that wasn't all that interesting. Typical raw ambition taking over and creating a monster. I would skip this.

"Music is a blood sport." Dr. Cask (Ivan Shaw)

Having just viewed The Wolf of Snow Hollow, which combines the satiric with the traditional horror genre, seeing writer-director Zu Quirke's Nocturne made me realize that a horror film with no digitized scares or much blood to boot can be a most terrorizing rendition of that durable formula. The scare is in the mind, you see.

Juliet (Sydney Sweeney) and her more talented sister, Vi (Madison Iseman), compete at their high-class music school for the chance to play in the school's final concert. They both choose Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No 2 (remember the concerto competition with the demanding Rachmaninov 3rd in Shine?). Although Vi wins the right to play it at the concert in the end of the year, Juliet makes an implied Faustian pact with the devil, whom she found in an old playbook, to reverse her sister's fortunes and enhance her own.

What is so impactful is the lack of blood and screams; in fact, there are few, if any, jump scares. The terror is in Juliet's head, her obsession to win, her jealousy as the guiding principle. It's all very sotto voce, so to speak, a quiet doom tamped down by beautiful music and feelings kept just low enough to allow effective dialogue and feel the presence of a malevolent force, which may be the devil but surely is the "green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." In some sense, I am reminded of the rivalry in Black Swan

About the Saint Sens, pianist Lise de la Salle wrote: "The highly lyrical first movement is an expression of late Romanticism. The second movement is as effervescent as a glass of champagne. And the final movement, a real whirlwind, a fantastic ride (wonderfully captured in this quasi-perpetual movement in triplets), is quite dizzying." These elements could be found in Nocturne.

"Welcome to the Blumhouse" is a "program of eight terrifying genre movies coming to Prime Video," and if the other seven are as good as this one, Halloween viewing will have matured to an intelligence and psychology worthy of a genre rarely this high class or intellectually satisfying.

I was really drawn in by this film . I felt the relationship between the sisters was authentic and relatable. Music is cut throat and requires so much sacrifice , I feel this showed that really well- while still allowing the characters to be teens .

I liked the feel , the aesthetic and the plot . Hard to tell if this is reality or all in the mind of the main character and you never really get a good answer .

This is not a life changing film, but it doesn't try to be something it isn't and it leaves you feeling sad and empty which is what they are going for .

With all that needed (or seemed to be) unpacked in this movie, it just never tied together all the integral parts. It took a lot of time introducing us to various people, problems, etc., only to have it boil down to simple sibling rivalry. That would have been fine had they set it up and took us home, instead they just kept taking turn after turn and then hit us with nothing. It's too bad because the feel and direction of the movie were great.

A bizarre fever dream of heartache and music- Nocturne is unlike any other film you've seen before- but is hardly capable of conveying its ideas in a meaningful form. I found this film endlessly fascinating, and honestly quite hard to watch, even though I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen. Its script is harsh and honest and balances so many heavy themes you can hardly believe that the film is just about music and not something more. My main problem with the film is its execution. The film feels so unique of original ideas and concepts, but takes no time to explain what it is trying to say, and ends up baffling the audience rather than providing something or really anything significant. I think it could have been a beautiful horror flick- but it's more uneven than not with its styling and sense of storytelling- you simply won't know what you are watching from time to time. The acting is phenomenal, especially from lead actress Sydney Sweeney- who truly carries the film along the tone it desires and allows us to empathize with every harsh thing her character goes through. The cinematography is honestly kinda bland for the most part, but there is some cool imagery throughout. In the end, Nocturne is a rather original and fascinating little horror flick- but its potential still lies in the open of what could have been a far better story.

My Rating: 7.5/10.

This was okay but not as good as I expected it to be. I found myself bored several times throughout the movie wanting to skip forward. The concept was good it just didn't connect with me in the end.

This movie could easily be deemed as Black Swan's teenage cousin due to the extremely similar theme of darkness taking over, yet stripped of its surreal vanity due to all the teenage drama. However, what struck me with this film was the brilliantly haunting images! Many have discussed the name and how it basically means a piece of music influenced by night, but it is a bit more general than that; it'scmore like, a piece of art influenced by night and the movie does great work with this through both the nocturne imagery (the pictures in the book) and the nocturne musical score (the pieces they play.) I'm sure many will say that this movie is too pretentious but that's just it... Art is pretentious because it deals with such deep meaning... Art and the devil and God are all tied in together and this film weaves that concept in so delicately. Nothing is forced and nothing is hidden. What you see is what you get. The ending may be ambiguous, but if you simply open your mind to the idea of how perfection is simply impossible, you may understand it a bit more. Also, great work by two of the lead actresses! They definitely have a glossy future ahead of them!

This is a film that is wide open to interpretation.

It has it's good qualities. Most of it can be found in the tension between our main character and well, just about every aspect of her life. The music is phenomenal, without doubt.

The concept is interesting but I feel it could've been executed better. It was so vague and slow paced. For the most part, this was bland for me. Even though the best part was the final scene, overall, it just didn't impress me.

It is a different take on envy and if you like films that explore that subject from a psychological thriller sprinkled with some horror/supernatural aspects, check it out. It wasn't bad but it didn't get me where I hoped it would take me.

Sydney Sweeney and Madison Isemen are excellent! The trailer when watching other stuff convinced me to see this movie, I'm glad about it too. The horror elements are magnificent to me although partly isn't one at the same time some of it seems like a teen drama. Nocturne definitely has some wtf vibes!

Part supernatural horror, part sibling rivalry but lacks conviction in either area.

An arts student who is hungry for success has bitter feelings towards her sister who is widely regarded as the superior pianist of the two, until she happens upon a cursed notebook which previously belonged to a former student ...

Superb acting and direction but overall the story is not very gripping. Also, the side-plot of the supernatural notebook is not tied in too well with the central sister rivalry plot. It's interesting but its inclusion feels a bit irrelevant at times.

The story feels quite familiar, seen before in movies like Starry Eyes and Black Swan but it's different enough, if less good, to warrant a viewing.

The concept overall is quite good. But it feels like no idea was thoroughly thought out. Either for lack of budget or the time limit, nothing happens besides what you already know is gonna happen. The writing is so bad, there is not even one relatable character in the whole film.

Black Swan is a masterpiece compared to this.

So I guess there's a genre forming around the "pressure for perfection gives way to madness" premise (Black Swan, Whiplash, Neon Demon, The Perfection, Starry Eyes, Suspiria 2018) and while it's hardly as overrun as zombies or slashers, it's starting to feel like familiar territory. This film stumbles a bit with it's depiction of reality, with heavy handed characters going through a near comical exaggeration of the pressures of pursuing music in post secondary. While taking the drama over the top may have been the point to a degree, it just doesn't take things far enough to be intentionally surreal. There are a couple nice hallucinatory sequences with pleasant Argento nods, but for the most part it's too grounded to be an all out fever dream. Otherwise, it's stylish and well put together, with a coherent plot and satisfying resolution, so well worth the watch even if it's not perfect.