NIGHTBITCH Holds Back On The Horror, Yet Delivers On The Quiet Difficulties Of Motherhood

Based on the novel by author Rachel Yoder, Nightbitch centers around Mother, played by Amy Adams, who left behind her career as an artist to care for her child. She finds herself in an endless loop of mundanity only to realize that everything that made her herself has been lost. Soon Mother indulges in an alter-ego–a K9 who prowls the streets at night, allowing her to express her suppressed primal urges. At first glance, Nightbitch seems filled with kitschy and campy horror elements that promise a biting film that pushes the boundaries of stories about motherhood and female domesticity. The Amy Adams-led film is much more routine and mundane than expected, nevertheless, it is sure to resonate with those who found motherhood was not the fairytale they thought it was.

Nightbitch is a refreshing story about how suffocating motherhood can be when mothers are forced to give up who they are outside of being caretakers to their children. There are elements of body horror in the film that effortlessly mix with the very real changes and adaptations of women’s bodies. This film comes just months after the release of The Substance, a fellow body horror film addressing how the female body and soul are so interconnected despite outsiders deeming their worthiness through how attractive and sexualized they are. Where the Demi Moore film focuses on the male gaze determining female worth, Adams’ film centers on motherhood taking away individuality and the pressures on mothers to lose who they were before to be the all-consuming unselfish caretaker. It is exciting to have more additions to the feminist body horror movement, finding ways to unashamedly yell the female experience at audiences in a way they can feel. There are many more stories like these that are going to be told on the horizon due to female unrest.

Can You Ever Forgive Me director, Marielle Heller is no stranger to covering female stories that have challenging elements, it is this adaptation where Heller holds back and chooses a much more subdued direction than in her previous films. In an interview with MovieMaker, the director says how adapting the screenplay was incredibly cathartic for her as she just had her second child and was “[feeling] very isolated. [her] husband was in production, and so [she] was home alone with two kids for the first time, and reading this book about a stay-at-home mom and motherhood was very cathartic.” In the film, Mother spends nearly all her time without her husband as he is off at work, and all the responsibility of being a parent is on her. Watching the film, you can feel the draining and mundane experience that Heller details, making for a touching watch as an outsider looking in on an experience of motherhood.

Nightbitch’s biggest downfall is the pacing and feels as if it does not fully indulge itself in bringing weirder or more ‘exciting’ in moments where Mother could let loose. However, this is very much done on purpose to show what drives Adams’ character to suppress her urges and have them burst out of her in dog form. The difficulty that comes with executing a film as such is the audience that will deeply resonate with the film are mothers and those who can expect motherhood to be a part of their lives one day, other demographics might not resonate or care to give the film a fair shot. Promising a more horror element does seem a bit misleading based on the swing of the name and log-line take, so viewers are sure to be a little confused before the film’s true self is revealed. The horror elements are disguised as an angsty feeling instead of gore and jumpscares, and this will be what draws attention away from that allowing a wider audience to enjoy the film’s effort for a niche audience.

The saving grace of the horror-esque film is Amy Adams’ powerful likeability she brings to everything the Academy Award-nominated actress does. The veteran actor’s name and presence will attract the attention it needs to reach audiences and the fighting chance of the film. Adams being a mother herself translates seamlessly into the film and Mother’s pain and frustration feel very vulnerable. Many of Mother’s interactions are with her child and various animals, forcing her to embrace other parts of her to connect. The relationship with the other mothers in her Mommy & Me group is one of the highlights of the film, adding a tender bit of comedy and community found with others who feel the confines of motherhood. Although this film will not be many people’s cup of tea, it has an audience that will connect, and Adams is sure to find those who will see her performance as an all-time favorite in this film. 

Nightbitch may not be the biting horror film that it was marketed as, but it is bold in being willing to discuss being unhappy and unfulfilled motherhood. Women are taught that motherhood is the ultimate gift of all, and it is revitalizing to have a film that allows women to be allowed to find happiness in other parts of their lives. Mothers should be more than that, they are women, dancers, artists, friends, sisters, and so many roles who deserve to have as much variety in life as fathers and childless adults. Heller and Adams take a bold stance on being permitted to seek more in your life and ask for help and support in being a mom. Nightbitch is about embracing what is deep inside and letting your freak flag fly no matter how ‘responsible’ and ‘submissive’ a mother is supposed to be.

Score: 3.5/5

This film is sure to be divisive. I come to appreciate it more as I discuss it with mothers and those who are not. Nightbitch is a horror movie in the sense that motherhood is not always the most amazing and exhilarating thing women experience, sometimes it can be debilitating. But I do share a big gripe with others who do not like this film, I want it to be weirder. I want the film to be full throttle and gritty, there should be more room to be bolder because Titane and The Substance exist and are incredible. Body Horror has become one of my favorite genres of feminist film, so overall I am glad this is “body horror lite” and may pique other people’s interest in the movement. Overall, Nightbitch is what it is. I enjoy the message, but I know many will be bored watching, and that is okay. Some films are made for a certain audience and not others, Nightbitch is one of those films.