The film has a similar vibe and feel to The Ring (2002) except there's one huge problem: Nokturno is boring.
Every scene feels both lacking and drawn-out at the same time. The events feel almost disjointed. This happens, and then this happens, and then this. We're just going from one boring scene to the next. The characters don't have any depth to them. They just... are. There's a semblance of a backstory there but it's so hard to care when you're staving off boredom.
Add to that the dumb characters and lackluster scriptwriting, and this whole film is just one big missed opportunity.
Look. The premise is that characters are apparently cursed by some strange entity that knocks after midnight. If you open the door, you die. The thing is, I don't get how it's difficult to avoid dying in this situation. Like, it you know you can get killed by opening the door after midnight, then maybe... don't open the door after midnight? Especially when the "person" on the other side of the door isn't speaking? Is that hard?
The premise is promising, I'll give it that. And there were some genuine scares in there (mainly jumpscares). It's just so sad because the film's problems are reflective of most Filipino horror movies as a whole, particularly those released within the last decade or so. I find it sad because I know we can have good horror movies -- we've done it before. For example, Feng Shui (2004) was fun. Decently scary, with great characters and a much better story. It has its issues but I still watch it at least once a year.
Nokturno? Eh, I'm pretty sure I'll never watch this film again unless I get paid. It's that boring and that forgettable. And that's a shame, isn't it? Even Nadine Lustre top-billing couldn't save this one.
