Film

Nocturna

Name: Nocturna
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Music
Released: 1979
Cast: Nai Bonet, John Carradine, Yvonne De Carlo, Theodore Gottlieb, Sy Richardson

Other titles called Nocturna: the 2007 film.

A 1979 disco-horror musical where Dracula's granddaughter falls for a mortal guitarist and chases mortality to New York City. It's campy, weird, and earnest in its strangeness—part vampire lore, part disco fever dream. For anyone who loves cult oddities that swing wildly between sincere and delirious.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you have a soft spot for campy 1970s disco kitsch and a vampire spoof that treats its own silliness with a straight face, letting the costumes and punchlines do the heavy lifting.

Skip it if you want sharp, tight writing, since the jokes are broad, the low-budget look is shaggy, and the film's goofiness rarely aims for anything more than a grin.

What it asks of you: Under ninety minutes of light, loose attention, with a pace that wanders between scenes and songs rather than building suspense, and a tone that stays playful throughout.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Love at First Bite1979

George Hamilton's charming, seductive Dracula is transplanted to 1970s Manhattan for a romantic comedy that treats the premise seriously enough to make it work. Funny and genuinely romantic without winking at the audience.

But The romantic subplot occasionally overtakes the comedy, and some jokes land softer than intended. Feels like a Saturday night movie rather than a late-night discovery.

Fright Night1985

A vampire moves next door to a teenage horror fan who has to stop him. Blends genuine scares with comedy and 80s charm, with practical effects that still impress and a cast that commits to every ridiculous moment.

But The middle section sags a bit, and some of the comedic bits clash tonally with the genuine menace. Not as cohesive as it thinks it is.

The Fearless Vampire Killers1967

Roman Polanski's baroque, silly vampire spoof is gorgeously shot and stuffed with dark humor and genuine production design. It's a love letter to horror movies that understands them well enough to parody them tenderly.

But The pacing meanders, and some of the jokes are arch rather than earned. The tonal shifts between slapstick and spooky can feel unmoored.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Nocturna

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Liquid Sky1982

Both are deeply strange, music-saturated films about youth and transformation made in their era by filmmakers willing to let their work be genuinely odd rather than commercially palatable.

A tiny UFO lands on a New York rooftop while a heroin-addicted fashion model navigates the underground art scene. It's an experimental fever dream with a synth score and genuine weirdness—nothing looks or sounds like Nocturna, but it shares the same late-70s downtown ecstasy and strangeness.

But It's deliberately obscure and slow, with no plot in the traditional sense. Dialogue is often minimal and cryptic. You are watching an art object as much as a narrative.

Phantom of the Paradise1974

Brian De Palma's rock-opera horror-comedy about a composer cursed to haunt a concert hall. It's wildly inventive, genuinely moving, and treats its absurd premise with absolute commitment.

But The movie is deeply weird and sometimes sacrifices clarity for atmosphere. Not everyone will sync with its specific brand of theatrical excess.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show1975

A transvestite mad scientist creates a perfect man while a couple stumbles into chaos. It's become a cultural phenomenon for good reason—it's weird, sexy, funny, and made by people who understood what they were doing.

But The film itself is uneven; much of its power comes from the audience participation experience. Watching it alone at home is a different (and sometimes slower) affair.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes1971

Vincent Price as a disfigured organist seeking revenge through elaborate murders set to Art Deco production design and a jazz score. It's theatrical, grotesque, and absolutely committed to its own bizarre logic.

But The plot is thin, and the murders are the only real hook. Some viewers will find it tedious between the set pieces; it demands patience for style over substance.

Gremlins1984

Joe Dante's creature comedy balances genuine terror with anarchic humor and lovable monsters. The practical effects are incredible, and it treats its premise with enough respect that even the silly bits land hard.

But It's a Christmas movie that many find too dark for the season, and some of the violence toward creatures can feel mean-spirited. Also, pacing dips in the second half.

Near Dark1987

Kathryn Bigelow's vampire film is moody, violent, and genuinely romantic—more a noir Western than a horror movie. The pale vampire family is unforgettable, and the atmosphere is thick enough to cut.

But It's slow and meditative where others are kinetic. If you want horror thrills, you'll be waiting. Some find the ending too neat after everything that precedes it.

The Lost Boys1987

Teenage vampires in California; Kiefer Sutherland and company bring real menace and charisma to the premise. It's a style-forward, rock-and-roll vampire film that understands cool.

But The tonal shifts between teen comedy and real horror can feel jarring. Rewatchings sometimes reveal the plot as thinner than it felt the first time; it coasts on vibe.

The Wailing2016

Like Nocturna, it treats its supernatural premise as an entry point to examine what it means to believe in the impossible, and it finds genuine horror in ambiguity rather than clarity.

A South Korean horror film about a village terrorized by mysterious deaths, where a desperate cop and a shaman uncover something far more complicated than any simple explanation. It's atmospheric, ambiguous, and deeply unsettling without relying on jump scares or gore.

But It's nearly three hours, methodical, and refuses to give you easy answers. The ending will frustrate some viewers. Subtitled, and the pacing is glacial compared to Western horror.

The Company of Wolves1984

Both films treat classical horror mythology as a vehicle for exploring desire and transformation in characters on the margins; both prioritize the weird atmosphere over conventional narrative logic.

Neil Jordan's adaptation of Angela Carter's stories is a Romantic-era fever dream about fairy tales and desire told through werewolf lore. Stunningly designed, richly atmospheric, and treats its mythology with absolute seriousness.

But It's more interested in mood and surrealism than plot coherence. Some find it pretentious; it's definitely slow-burn. The werewolf effects, while creative, are of their era.