Akin to the existing horror culture of their neighboring Asian countries, Filipino supernatural fiction is deeply rooted in the history, religion, and folklore of the country, and an additional emphasis on superstition adds a distinctive tone to their craft. For horror movie buffs, a new Filipino folk chiller, Nokturno, getting released on Halloween, that too with Mikhail Red, director of Eerie, at the helm of the project, might seem like the perfect watch for the weekend. Unfortunately, despite having all the necessary elements at its disposal, Nokturno doesn’t live up to the expectations, derives ideas that are already overused, and introduces mythos that it doesn’t bother to develop. The cinematography and background score lay the groundwork for thematic horror, which is nonexistent, and the abundance of jumpscares quickly derails viewers’ interest. The familial connection, along with an historical angle to the horror element, could have been utilized in a better way to add a new dimension to the movie. But instead, a trope-filled, forgettable, and predictable horror feature is all we get with Nokturno.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Jamie Leave Her Family?
In the Catholic community of San Sebastian, the Jesuit family matriarch, Lillet, believes that her family has been cursed by the haunting supernatural entities known as Kumakatok—a trio of dark-robed, gaunt, unearthly beings who prey on the people who answer their knocking at the door, exactly after three nights. Lillet was raised by the nuns of a local Catholic dormitory, an establishment that is the oldest one in the community, and she had inculcated more of a superstitious belief system while growing up. Lillet tried to teach her children—Jamie, Joana, and Julius—to have a similar foundation of faith, but Jamie, her eldest, strongly opposed her teachings. Disparity in ideology led to estrangement between the duo, which never really mended after a point. In the past, Lillet’s husband, Antonio, allegedly took his own life following a heated argument with his wife, but Lillet considered his death to be the handiwork of Kumakatok. Jamie began to despise her mother even more following the incident, as she believed her mother tried to allude to superstitious mumbo-jumbo to distract people from the real reason for her father’s demise, which she considers to be the terse relationship he shared with Lillet. After Antonio’s death, Lillet became ever more stringent in her beliefs, and Jamie decided to leave her family to break away from the claustrophobic atmosphere at the household.
Who Are Kumakatok?
According to Filipino legends, Kumakatok consists of three dark-robed otherworldly beings who knock at the people’s door, and upon answering to them, death and malice are brought upon one’s family. Alternatively, it is also assumed that the Kumakatok arrive at one’s house when someone in their family is close to death, and with the arrival of the trio, death takes its victim. At one point, Kumakatok was a major part of Filipino urban legend, and people used to draw crosses on their doors to ward them off—a practice that waned after the Second World War. The closest mythical comparison we can draw is of the depiction of the Fates—Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos in Greek mythology, although the functionality of both of these mythical groups differs largely. In the movie’s depiction of Kumakatok, the entity trio has been reduced to a boogeyman kind of presence that continues to haunt the Jesuit family. A level of background exploration might have added much character to these beings.Â
Why Did Jamie Return To Her Family?
The beginning of the movie shows Jamie’s sister, Joana, secretly having a nightly tryst with her boyfriend, Manu, at a local motel, ignoring her mother, Lillet’s, warning of not venturing outside alone at night. Joana is mentally not in her best shape, as she reveals to Manu that she has apparently answered the call of Kumakatok and fears that she is being tracked by them. Manu asks her not to pay heed to Lillet’s teachings, and after assuring Joana of their future, goes outside to bring her some food. In his absence, Joana finds herself cornered by unseen supernatural forces—and dies a horrific death by slitting her throat. Police investigation labels the case as death by suicide, but once again, Lillet is convinced about the influence of the supernatural in her daughter’s tragic fate.
The news of her sister’s death brings Jamie to their community back from Manila, and Uncle Jun, Antonio’s brother, receives her. Jamie feels guilt as not only she was away from her family for a prolonged time, but also due to the fact that, in her final days, Joana had desperately tried to reach out to her elder sister—and Jamie didn’t even get in touch with her. As an older sister, Jamie feels responsible for her siblings, and she wants to bring her young brother, Julius, along with her in Manilla—even if it is for a change of scenery. The young boy, who already appears to be a bit sensitive and shares a strong bond with their mother, hesitates but eventually agrees to go for a trip after Joana’s funeral.
How Did Manu Meet His End?
After arriving in San Sebastian, Jamie started having disagreements with Lillet right off—as it became clear the duo still won’t see eye to eye even when their family is facing a tragedy. But more than Jamie, Lillet has a bone to pick with Manu, whom she considers to be responsible for Joana’s death as he left her in the motel alone. Lillet was already disapproving of Manu, and now she becomes furious with him to such an extent that she doesn’t allow Manu to take a final look at Joana. Manu beats himself up for not being there for Joana, and Jamie tries to console him. She realizes that Manu has started believing in the legend of Kumakatok as well, as he appears terrified, believing himself to be their next target.
That night, having received Lillet’s permission, Jamie takes Julius along with her to go to Manila, and as a downpour begins, the duo board at the same motel where Joana lost her life. Julius and Jamie have a brief argument over Lillet’s principles; unlike Jamie, Julius has trust in their mother’s belief and gets angry with his elder sister for belittling that aspect. Later at night, Jamie hears a knock at their room door, and as she ventures outside to check the source, she finds Manu in a trance-like state in the room where Joana died. She offers to let Manu stay inside their room, and the next day they are surprised to find Julius has gone to Lillet. To assuage Manu’s guilt and fear, Jamie tries to console him, but ends up spooking him by mentioning that she answered a knock on their motel room door the previous night. Manu frantically leaves, and at night, as Jamie goes to check up on him by going to his house, she witnesses Manu killing himself by bashing his head against the wall.Â
Uncle Jun Steps Up
Jamie is taken to the graveyard by Uncle Jun, who is aware that Manu lost his life through the curse, and now Jamie has been afflicted as well. According to him, the only way to evade the curse is to offer the Kumakatok a life, as he reveals his wife, Lorna, had sacrificed herself to save him. This time, Jun is prepared to make the sacrifice for Jamie and her family, as he feels he was already living in borrowed time. Jamie is still in disbelief and cannot make sense of Jun’s words. However, that night, Jamie has a close encounter with Kumakatok, which shatters her willingness to find a logical explanation behind all this, and the next day, as she returns to her house to check up on Lillet and Julius, she finds Julius to be tormented by the presence of the horrid visitors as well. Jun takes the duo to his home, where they are reunited with Lillet.Â
Historical Connection to the Kumakatok
Realizing that her mother was sharing the truth all along, Jamie apologizes to Lillet and asks for her forgiveness, and with a long overdue hug, the mother and daughter reconcile with each other. The duo even briefly connected while going through an old family photo album. Lillet reveals that during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, American soldiers came knocking at the door of the dormitory at midnight, and in exchange for food and shelter provided by the nuns, the soldiers murdered them in cold blood. It seems the legend of Kumakatok is associated with this troublesome past of the dormitory.
Later that night, Jamie feels something is calling her to the Catholic dormitory, and she sneakily ventures to the place, only to have Lillet follow her. Inside the dilapidated dormitory, the duo comes across a ritual site, and a huge number of hanging crosses along with a warning inscribed on the wall suggests that resident nuns were trying to ward off an evil presence, probably the horrid trio Kumakatok. As Lillet tries to warn Jamie to leave, the Kumakatok catches up—and allowing her daughter to escape, Lillet ends up sacrificing her life. A distraught Jamie watches in horror as her mother is taken inside darkness, and with life taken, it seems Jamie has managed to evade the curse after all.
The Significance of Julius’s Hobby
Julius was shown to have the hobby of collecting bugs and keeping the critters captured in a glass jar; in a way, Julius’ hobby reflected his own fate of remaining stuck in San Sebastian, inside his mother’s safe yet claustrophobic boundary. After Lillet’s demise, a heartbroken Julius releases one of his moths—whose pair he hasn’t been able to find—once again; his actions highlight his own plight. He now wants to go to Manila with Jamie, as there is nothing left for him at home.
Was Jamie Able To Break The Curse Of Kumakatok?
However, things take a dark turn that night, as Jamie receives a call from Uncle Jun, who calls to warn them about the arrival of the Kumakatok, and it is hinted that he himself has met a grisly end in their assault as well. At his room, Julius is confronted by a sinister presence as well, and Jamie finds her mother’s corpse has been reanimated as a horrifying presence. Terrified, Jamie opens the door to confront the Kumakatok at last and instantly meets her end. Julius’ fate is not revealed, but it’s safe to assume that he met a tragic end at the hands of the Kumakatok as well.
Lillet’s association with the nuns of the dormitory seems to be the root of all evil, as she had presumably carried the curse of Kumakatok from her experience of growing up in the place. Although it would have been better for the movie to explore her background and the legend of Kumakatok in depth to allow a definitive assumption, for now this is the only major connection that gets highlighted in the movie.
