Putting my cards from the 2024 movie schedule on the table, I honestly haven’t expected too many surprises from the remaining films on the lineup that will be debuting between now and the end of the year. That being said, even having a decent handle on what we know about Nightbitch hadn’t prepared me for what we’ve seen in the first trailer for director Marielle Heller’s latest.
For a movie that centers around the trials and tribulations of being a stay-at-home mom, this new flick has some very sharp teeth. Now I’ve read the synopsis for the Amy Adams starring film, and author Rachel Yoder’s novel has been on my “to read” pile ever since I saw it on shelves back in 2021.
But that knowledge didn’t prepare me for Ms. Adams actually turning into a dog in the middle of this Nightbitch trailer. And that moment, quite honestly, seems to lock the rest of this upcoming horror movie’s promising energy into place.
To be fair, I knew there was an expectation that saw Nightbitch’s protagonist reckoning with the possibility that she was turning into a symbol of four-legged freedom. That being said, I didn’t actually know a transformation of some sort would be shown, which is where the line between a dark comedy and a dark horror comedy seems to be drawn.
My expectations for Nightbitch have raised a bit higher after seeing this trailer in action, and that’s all thanks to Amy Adams’ transformation into a commanding husky/husky adjacent breed. As far as dog casting is concerned, landing a canine that feels like a natural fit to be Ms. Adams’ animal counterpart is another surprising joy that I’ve gotten out of seeing this first reel of clips from Searchlight Pictures’ genre-bender.
Knowing that Nightbitch is one of the upcoming book-to-screen adaptations we have to look forward to in the near future has this movie a bit more prominently featured on my radar. That much is especially true after this year's box office gave audiences a huge dog loving win through the release of Arthur the King, which apparently prompted Mark Wahlberg's thankful attitude towards viewers who loved that movie. But at the same time, if you loved Arthur the King, I don't think Nightbitch is going to be a slam dunk.
I mean, if the distinction of whether or not Amy Adams is turning into a dog is features so distinctly in the first reel of footage, what is Marielle Heller’s movie actually hiding? Also, is there a potential for another addition to our list of moments where a dog saved the day in a movie that doesn’t involve another member of Amy Adams’ pack being killed?
We’ll see what happens when Nightbitch looks to lead the pack at the box office when it debuts in theatrical release on December 6th. But if you’re keeping an eye on this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the picture will be making its festival premiere on September 7th.
