The last description sums up Nocturne, the film starring Sydney Sweeney as Juliet Lowe, who attends a fancy school and is envious of her twin Vivian, who is headed to Julliard and seems to have a better future ahead of her. It’s awesome seeing Sweeney take on a role in the thriller genre and this is a stand-out movie of 2020.
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While some Blumhouse horror movies fall flat, Nocture is a great story that sticks out from other movies released by the studio for two reasons: because it’s a smart character study and because it focuses on the relationship between two siblings. The latter isn’t something that has been seen before in Blumhouse films and Sweeney’s performance is perfect.
It’s fun to see Sydney Sweeney in a thriller movie and the actor shared with Nylon that her father introduced her to the genre: “my dad has always been a really big fan. And when I was growing up we watched all the necessary, John Carpenter, and the Scary movies and the Halloweens. I even love the cheesy ones like Halloweentown. I really fall and this time of year. So I was really excited to be part of a Blumhouse project.”
One of the best female-led Blumhouse horror movies, Nocturne shows how living in her sister’s shadow has gotten to Juliet. She knows that she’s talented and believes that she could be even better than her twin, but she doesn’t get the same praise and accolades. Since Juliet is young and has been dealing with terrible emotions for a long time, she has no idea how to handle this situation. The drama is heightened when, instead of talking to her sister, other family members, or even a teacher at school, Juliet takes matter into her own hands and tries to make her sister’s life a living hell.
Nocturne quickly becomes one of the most underrated teen supernatural movies when Juliet discovers a notebook that was owned by Moira, a student who passed away. Almost as if it’s a magical object, this notebook spurs Juliet on and allows her to find more confidence when she had none before. This is a smart horror element that makes the movie more memorable. Even though there is something supernatural happening, the relationship that the twins have is relatable and grounds the movie, which is important. It’s easy to see why Juliet does what she does and why she doesn’t think that she has another option.
The Netflix thriller The Perfection wastes its plot twist, but horror fans could find some similarities between the two films, as they feature young and ambitious women who want to succeed. Nocturne also has a dark tone but succeeds in a way that The Perfection didn’t as audiences are able to see into Juliet’s mind and learn that something supernatural is pulling her forward. The worst teen horror movies feature characters who play pranks and try to get revenge on someone who hurt them, as this can be cheesy rather than scary. Audiences understand why Juliet feels so insecure and that she’s tired of being compared to her sister, who she feels that everyone loves and appreciates more than her.
Jason Blum told Forbes in an October 2020 interview, “Does the movie work as a drama if you took out the violence or took out the genre elements? It’s a litmus test, and we put most of our movies through that.” This is definitely true of Nocturne and that’s why the thriller works so well. If Juliet didn’t have paranormal visions and didn’t feel drawn by something dark to make things difficult for her sister, Juliet would still feel the same way about her Vivian and would continue on the same path. The film is one of the best films that Sydney Sweeney stars in because she gives it her all and makes audiences believe that she is lost and desperate to succeed.
Nocturne is a solid feat of storytelling, telling a stylish tale about twins who have competed with each other for their entire lives and how that can lead to some dark places. Horror and thriller fans will be engaged the whole time, sympathizing with Juliet while knowing that she shouldn’t hurt Vivian, who can’t help how talented she is and who doesn’t deserve this treatment. It’s the perfect movie for fans of Blumhouse and Sydney Sweeney.
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