Nightborn, the second feature from Finnish director Hanna Bergholm, draws heavily on themes from horror classics like Rosemary’s Baby and her debut, Hatching. The film intersects maternal fear with elements of folk and body horror, set against a backdrop of a sinister forest filled with bodily gore, including a violent on-screen birth. It tells the story of Saga (Seidi Haarla) and Jon (Rupert Grint), a couple who move to rural Finland to start a family in Saga’s grandmother’s home. Their hopes crumble when their newborn, named Kuura, arrives with a furry, clawed appearance.
While Bergholm plays with the idea of Finnish forest trolls, the film primarily explores Saga’s psychological decline and the violent transformation of motherhood, symbolized through Kuura. The creature’s unsettling design, created with realistic puppetry and an eerie vocal performance, adds to the tension. However, it’s Saga’s disturbing journey into primal instincts, such as her craving for raw meat, that drives the narrative forward, especially as her family dismisses her struggles, leading to maternal gaslighting.
Despite its promising premise, Nightborn suffers from underdeveloped supporting characters, with Jon portrayed as a caricature of the clueless husband. The film’s mystical elements feel secondary, as overlapping storylines compete for attention, preventing deeper exploration. Overall, it’s a haunting yet familiar horror experience, releasing in UK cinemas on October 30.
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