Parenthood is already a sleep-deprived nightmare, but Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm is about to make it officially terrifying. Shudder has officially snapped up the rights to Nightborn, Bergholm’s highly anticipated follow-up to her grotesque, body-horror indie darling Hatching (2022). The streaming giant locked down distribution worldwide, ensuring horror fans everywhere can witness the chaos.
The dark, visceral fable debuted in competition at Berlinale. Next, it is set for its North American premiere at the Fantasia Festival on July 22. Thankfully, you won’t have to wait long to stream it at home; the film drops exclusively on Shudder on August 1.
Motherhood Can Be a Nightmare
Written by Bergholm and Ilja Rautsi, Nightborn follows Saga and her British husband, Jon, who move into an isolated woodland house to build a perfect, picture-postcard family life. Naturally, because this is a horror film, that dream immediately implodes.
The second their baby is born, Saga realizes something is deeply, horribly wrong with her newborn son. While well-meaning outsiders chalk it up to postpartum stress, Jon watches their marriage violently fracture as Saga uncovers a truly disturbing truth about their little bundle of joy.
““Nightborn is a film made for genre enthusiasts, parents, and anyone who has ever asked themselves: Why do I feel different?”” — Director Hanna Bergholm
Ron Weasley Faces the Monsters
Starring as the terrified mother is Seidi Haarla (Compartment Number 6). She gives one hell of a heart-wrenching performance, one of the best I’ve seen all year. Harry Potter alum Rupert Grint trades his wand for baby wipes as the husband, Jon. Anyone who watched him in M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller series “Servant” knows he has a master’s degree in handling domestic dread. Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey, and John Thomson round out the cast.
God-Tier Practical Creature Magic
If you loved the unsettling, slime-covered animatronics in Hatching, you are in for an absolute treat. Bergholm isn’t cutting corners with CGI; instead, she brought in some of the industry’s heaviest hitters to build her new nightmare from scratch. Gustav Hoegen (Star Wars, Andor, Prometheus) steps in as the Animatronics Designer to bring the creature effects to life. But that’s not all! Conor O’Sullivan, the two-time Oscar nominee, handles the SFX Makeup Design.
Expect gorgeous, tactile, stomach-churning practical magic that will make your skin crawl.
A Must-See
If you are wondering if Nightborn is worth watching, let me answer that right now: YES! I gave the film a rave review, saying, “It turns postpartum panic into pure body horror. Hanna Bergholm has crafted a beautifully shot, emotionally bruising story with a final act that will leave you in absolute shock. Long after the credits roll, Nightborn will remain firmly lodged in your head.” In other words, it’s a must-see!
Nightborn joins Shudder’s elite contemporary library of genre-defining hits, sitting comfortably alongside Late Night with the Devil, In a Violent Nature, and When Evil Lurks.
