Book Radar

Everything to Know About NIGHTBITCH Before You See the Movie

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Emily Martin

Contributing Editor

Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.

Nightbitch is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the month. But if you’ve seen the trailer and have yet to read the book, you probably have questions: The trailer looks weird. Will the movie be weird? What the heck is the movie about? What can we expect from the film? We’re here to answer all of your burning questions!

cover of Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

Nightbitch is based on the 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder. The story is a surreal account of an artist-turned-stay-at-home-mom who is convinced she’s turning into a dog. There’s also a strange art show and a mommy-run MLM group. As quirky and fun as that might sound, this novel does dip into horror territory, and there are moments of surprising violence. So if you haven’t read this one yet, content warning for animal harm, which will likely make it into the movie as well because it is a significant part of the plot. Nightbitch takes readers inside the mind of true feminine rage in a way will likely resonate with a lot of viewers right now in this current political climate.

The Nightbitch film adaptation is written and directed by Marielle Heller, director of The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Annapurna picked up the rights to Nightbitch in 2020, before the novel was even released, and Heller became attached to the project shortly after. Heller spent years developing the project alongside the film’s star Amy Adams.

“Rachel Yoder‘s book took my breath away,” Heller said in a statement announcing Nightbitch in 2022. “I haven’t felt this way about a book since I read The Diary of a Teenage Girl many years ago. Rachel’s darkly hilarious tale of motherhood and rage made me feel seen. And adapting it with Amy Adams in mind has been the thing that has kept me going through the pandemic.”

Nightbitch poster

Adams stars as the unnamed lead character in Nightbitch, referred to as “Mother” in the film credits. Scoot McNary costars as “Husband,” Adams’ oft absent spouse who spends much of his time off on business trips rather than assisting his wife with their child.

Nightbitch was originally slated for a direct-to-streaming Hulu release. But now, potentially to get more Awards season buzz, especially for Adams, Nightbitch is getting a theatrical release on December 6. The film is produced by Marielle Heller, Adams, Anne Carey, Sue Naegle, Christina Oh, and Stacy O’Neil.

Will you be heading to the theaters to catch Nightbitch on December 6? Grab your popcorn and get ready for a wild ride.