Overview and Setting
Nokturno is a 2024 Filipino folk horror film directed by Mikhail Red with a screenplay by Rae and Nikolas Red. Starring Nadine Lustre in the leading role, the film is 99 minutes long and culminates in a terrifying exploration of the kumakatok, supernatural creatures in Philippine folklore. The film was released on October 31, 2024 and characterizes atmospheric horror interwoven with family drama while center framing cultural superstitions and generational trauma.
Situated in the rural town of San Sebastian, the film unfolds a somber and gradual narrative about grief, estrangement, and the supernatural. Instead of a reliance on quintessential slasher-film gore, violence, or cheap scares, Nokturno builds its horror through mood, silence, and deep emotional currents.
Plot Summary
In the story, Jamie, a Filipino overseas worker, returns home after her younger sister, Joanna, mysteriously passes away. Previously, Jamie was largely emotionally absent from the family, including her mother Lilet, who carries her distance as an unforgivable offense. In the process of reconnecting and grieving, Jamie learns that Joanna’s death is tied to something much older and deeper than family secrets.
Soon after her arrival, mysterious knocks begin echoing through the night—first ignored, then feared. These are not ordinary knocks. Local lore speaks of the kumakatok—ghostly, shrouded figures who knock thrice, heralding calamity. One knock warns. Two signals the death of a loved one. The third means no one is safe.
The village panic surges as strange phenomena such as sorrowful cries during the night, movement beyond windows, and footsteps are heard without source, make Jamie’s family and some neighbors caregivers frantic. The next victims are Jamie’s younger brother Julius, followed by her cousin Manu. The collective distress morphs into something far more unbearable. Still, Jamie refuses to give in to irrational fear.
She pieces together the curse’s secrets—and the possibility of the kumakatok’s connection to her family’s hidden truths. The knocks intensify. The line between dreams and reality blurs. Self-doubt creeps into the mind of Jamie, a woman rooted in fact and reasoning. Her battles extend beyond the hauntings to fractured bonds and the weight of unchecked guilt over her absent presence during Joanna’s last days.
In the film’s climax, Jamie faces the kumakatok not as a fighter, but as a Sister seeking closure. The resolution of the film is, for lack of better words, unresolved. Did Jamie, in fact, lift the curse? Or has she passed it onto someone else?
Characters and Performances
Jamie (Nadine Lustre)
Jamie is a complex protagonist—a woman torn between logic and loyalty, guilt and denial. Lustre captures her fear so deeply that when she breaks down, it makes her performance far more engaging than at first glance. Her emotional journey invokes a sense of vulnerability that Jamie’s fear is felt, not simply put on for show.
Lilet (Eula Valdez)
As Jamie’s mother, Lilet is the representation of the strong yet grieving mother. Her portrayal offers nuance, capturing a woman who has lost too much, yet trusted too little. Her tension with Jamie is palpable and heartbreaking.
Joanna (Bea Binene)
Through eerie visions or even flashbacks, Joanna captures the essence of innocence lost mixed with the ramifications of emotional unavailability.
Julius (JJ Quilantang) and Manu (Wilbert Ross)
The driving force behind the sense of urgency in the haunting is fueled by these characters. Jamie’s desperation is heightened through their deaths, which are not just additional plot points.
Folklore and Themes
The Kumakatok
In Philippine folklore, the kumakatok are described as silent, white figures who knock on doors at night. For those who hear the kumakatok, death is expected within days, and each visit brings only calamity. This legend serves as a foundation for Nokturno’s horror whilst offering a culture specific lens on inevitability and existential grief. Throughout the film, these beings are not shown until much later, allowing for tension to build through suggestion rather than through spectacle.
Generational Grief and Estrangement
A central focus is the distance between family members, both physically and emotionally. Tension builds particularly with their mother due to Jamie not being present during her sister’s dying moments. The film depicts the ways families splinter apart due to grief and how silence—whether physical or emotional—can be as harmful as any specter of the supernatural.
Faith vs. Rationality
Lilet and the rest of the community represent the spiritual, traditional worldview while Jamie embodies the modern, rational perspective. The clash of these opposing angles creates extra strain, especially when faced with the undeniable presence of the curse.
Visual and Sound Design
Atmosphere is the heart of Nokturno. The cinematography relies on shadow and silence. Numerous scenes feature enclosed spaces lit solely by candlelight or moonlight. The rural setting is captured with stark realism, offering unspoiled natural beauty as well as haunting isolation.
The minimalist sound design is equally striking. The film’s most chilling auditory motif includes the eerie knocks. Noises such as creaking wood, whispering winds, and faint weeping—distant and soft—are meticulously timed to create dread. Rather than a heavy score, the film employs ambient sounds, inviting the audience to experience the silence that exists between each tragedy.
The way the kumakatok appear is slow and careful. Their veiled faces and cryptic movements ensure they terrify rather than amuse. The film refuses to over explain, aiding in the preservation of mystery.
Reception and Criticism
Critics and viewers seem to agree on a more positive side for Nokturno. The film’s culture-based foundation impressed audiences alongside the atmosphere, and performances, especially Nadine Lustre’s emotionally measured portrayal and Eula Valdez’s commanding presence received praise.
Nonetheless, some spectators considered the film’s pacing to lack momentum and the return on investment to be very minimal. The atmosphere’s dominance over the narrative’s progression rendered the second act monotonous to a subset of viewers. A portion of the critics believed that the familial relationship, although it was touching, leaned too heavily towards horror tropes and therefore did not receive enough analytical focus.
Still, the focus on character emotions and folklore gives restraint to the storytelling, setting it apart in modern horror. The film’s unsettling and gradual realization differs from conventional shocking spectacles.
Conclusion
Nokturno portrays horror quietly infused with sorrow, mastering the balance between folklore and familial tales. It uses the kumakatok legend to depict grief, cultural beliefs, and the unseen fractures within relationships. Mikhail Red’s vision of horror is profoundly intimate and still deeply unsettling—not through gore and violence, but through dread and silence.
The film’s cultural and emotional insights form its primary strengths, despite imperfections. It dares audiences to pay attention: to what remains unsaid, to the quiet knocks echoing in the stillness, and to the sorrow that prevails long after the final door is shut.
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