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 this July.
Along with the release date, a haunting new poster and trailer have arrived, giving you an early look at the madness that might make you never want kids.
Morthhood 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
The film boasts a brilliant blend of international talent, most notably Harry Potter alum Rupert Grint (Servant), who is trading his wand for baby wipes as the husband, Jon. Anyone who watched him in M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller series knows he has a master’s degree in handling domestic dread.
Starring alongside him as the terrified mother is Seidi Haarla (Compartment Number 6), with Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey, and John Thomson rounding 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.
Shudder’s Unstoppable Slate
Emily Gotto, Shudder’s SVP of Acquisitions and Production, negotiated the acquisition and promised the film delivers “tension and shocking moments surrounding parenthood—with a touch of humor.”
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.
Clear your schedule for July 31. Just make sure the baby is sound asleep before you press play.
