10 Unique Genre-Bending Indie Films Of 2020

4. Nocturne

Genre: Thriller/Horror/Fantasy

What could possible go wrong when the dark fairy tale concept of Black Swan is transported into the word of music?

Student pianist Juliet constantly lives in the shadow of her far more talented twin sister, Vivian. An important end-of-year recital comes up, and Juliet hatches a plan to outshine her twin - with the help from a notebook once in possession of a recently deceased classmate.

NOCTURNE is one of the first four entries of the new Blumhouse thriller anthology, and unlike the others it is a bit bolder with mashing the fantastic with horror and thriller.

Most of the horror elements come from the unsettling music-school and Juliet, who takes her musical endeavours to violent extremes, composing a symphony of tension for perfection. Once Juliet uncovers the notebook, demonic drawings that seem to have a way to persuade and also to foreshadow a gloomy future. There are hints of Satanic seductions intervening with psychedelic folk horror, and in the end we are all facing the question: how far would you go for greatness?

Juliet’s Faustian bargain is mostly compelling and overall convincing, with Juliet swirling in a pond of jealousy while she takes step after step too far. NOCTURNE also puts a dark mirror on the shocking Black Swan finale. While we are undoubtedly aware of Juliet’s visions, a small mystery remains of if these entities are in fact more real than we think. NOCTURNE has an interesting - if not new - story, that plays elegantly with psychedelic folk tales and ancient devils.