Welcome to Knockout horror. Today we are checking out a recent found footage horror movie on free streaming service Tubi in the form of Nyctophobia from 2024. Now you may be wondering what Nyctophobia is. Well, allow me to elaborate. Nyctophobia is fear of the dark. But not just any fear of the dark, Nyctophobia is extreme fear of the dark. Fear that impacts your life heavily and can cause problems with sleeping, leaving the house at night and being in dark places.
Many of us, around 45% in fact, have this specific phobia as children. But, in some people, it lingers on well into adulthood. Surprisingly, up to 9% of adults in the USA are suffering with this condition as we speak. Treatment typically involves therapy, CBT, and even medication to calm related panic attacks and disruptions to your life. Naturally, the practical concerns associated are noteworthy due to their potential impact on your everyday life. But the social issues caused by the phobia are deserving of mention, also. Fascinating, right?
Back to the 36 Chambers
“The RZA, the GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah and the Method Man… M E T H O D Maaaannn”
Ah man, the Wu Tang Clan were one of my favourite rap groups back in the 90s. Growing up in a small Welsh seaside resort, it was pretty hard to get your hands on some of the better rap albums. So imagine my delight when, as a kid, I walked into a small, independent, record store to find Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers) sitting there on the shelf. I scraped together all the change in my pocket, borrowed a few quid off a mate and purchased it straight away (at a premium I might add, this stuff didn’t come cheap).
The next few days were spent indulging in some of the best rap verses and beats I had ever heard. I introduced them to my mate on a sleepover while we played Command and Conquer and he was immediately hooked. To this day, we still throw this album on when drinking and still consider it to be one of the best of all time.Â
The underappreciated mastermind of Wu Tang was one Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, otherwise known as the RZA. Displaying, arguably, the most lyrical talent in the group and producing much of their music. The RZA was Wu Tang’s head honcho and still stands as one of the most important people in the rap game to this day.
Why Am I Telling You This?
You may be wondering why I have made you sit through multiple paragraphs about fear of the dark and my adventures into rap as a 90s kid. Well, it is quite simple, really. Because I don’t want to review this horrendous horror movie. I have so little to say about it that I figured your time would be better spent reading about the actual phobia itself and learning about one of the most influential rappers of all time. That last part is, however, pertinent to the movie as the RZA has executive producer credits on Nyctophobia.
As much of an impressive ear as Robert Diggs has for music; his eye for horror is pretty shameful if Nyctophobia is any indication. Hopefully he had little more input than just signing off on it. This movie sucks. The best way it can be described is as 77 minutes of people shouting in the dark.
The story follows twin sisters Rose (Bianca D’Ambrosio) and Azalea (Chiara D’Ambrosio) and their best friend Brooks (BJ Tanner) as they celebrate their recent graduation with a sleep over. Gearing up to head to a party; their plans are thrown into disarray after a power cut. Only, this is no ordinary power cut. The moon and stars appear to have vanished and there are strange noises emanating from the darkness. Oh, and one of the girls (they look the same, I can’t remember which) just so happens to be deftly afraid of the dark.
Simply Awful
Hope you missed shaky cam because it’s back, baby! In Nyctophobia form. This is one of those movies that the anti found footage crowd think of when they slam the genre. While the base idea isn’t exactly terrible, the execution is. The movie starts with tons of obnoxious dialogue between the twins and their friend. Brooks films every single last thing and it is as horribly mundane as you might expect. High school students aren’t interesting at the best of times but these guys make it their mission to turn that up to 11.
If you make it through the glacial opening scenes and into the horror. Your reward is being subjected to some terrible camera work in horrendously lit locations around one single house. All while people scream relentlessly. That is, literally, all this is. People shouting in the dark. Think of a school drama project and you will be half way there. It’s awful stuff and has absolutely nothing for the average horror fan to grab onto.
Nothing to Praise
Scares have some degree of potential but they almost never work. The occasional surprise “person running at camera” is fairly effective at a couple of points but there is virtually nothing else to praise. There is no backstory here, no explanation for the events taking place and no real build up. Everything just happens. Continuity issues abound, the plot feels messy and the dialogue is woefully poor, clearly being improvised throughout. Oh and there is no big monster reveal so don’t bother waiting around for that.
Acting is pretty terrible. You may recognise the D’Ambrosio twins as the pair of girls bullying another character in Slapface. Well, in Nyctophobia, they are bullying us with relentless volume, annoying conversations and unconvincing acting.
BJ Tanner, as Brooks, seems to do the best job but that might be because he can’t get a word in edge ways with the two sisters mouthing off constantly. Direction is poor with the movie lacking focus throughout. Certain parts of the house are seen so much you almost feel like you, yourself, grew up in it. The lighting is nauseating. You spend over 40 minutes staring at one single halo of light and it is actually infuriating. There is, really, nothing at all to praise here.
Should You Watch Nyctophobia?
No, you absolutely should not watch Nyctophobia. This is an awful horror movie that can’t even be saved by being completely free. It is, basically, three people shouting in the dark for 40 plus minutes with no build up and no backstory. I can’t think of a single positive thing to say. If three friends had picked up a camera and made this movie I would suggest that they never pick up a camera again. But the fact that this is a professionally produced film with actual well known actors is insane.
