Nightborn (2026)
Hanna Bergholm caught the eyes of many with her 2022 directorial debut, Hatchling. Following a young girl who finds a mysterious egg that hatches a possibly dangerous creature, the film immediately had an impact with its impressive practical effects and unique tone. Screening as part of the 2026 Fantasia Film Festival, Bergholm is back with her sophomore feature, Nightborn. The film sees a young couple, Saga (Seidi Haarla) and Jon (Rupert Grint), welcome their first child. While Jon is ecstatic, Saga has more difficulty with the situation, feeling like something is off with their new baby. From right after birth, when she notices how hairy the child is, to her attempts to care for the baby afterwards, Saga cannot escape the feeling that something is wrong, with her intuition worsening as she learns of stories of local mythology.
Over the last decade, cinema has become obsessed with examining the complex emotions of motherhood, especially in the horror genre. From The Babadook to Run Rabbit Run, countless examples of films exploring similar themes can be found, running the risk of overexposing the concept and leaving nothing left to say. Nightborn bucks this concern, showing that there is still plenty of life to be found within this angle. While there are other films with similar themes to Nightborn, few capture the physicality of motherhood as effectively, with Saga's experience being truly nightmarish. As she lacks the typical connection one might expect between mother and child, she has no rose-colored glasses tinting her experience of expected servitude towards her child, who both emotionally and physically dominates her life. Saga is tired and is consistently put through physical suffering to care for her baby. She has to deal with the expectations placed on motherhood, not only to be the perfect caretaker of her family but also to have a profound euphoric reaction to the experience. The postpartum depression on display is perhaps one of the most vicious and grounded examples of the emotion seen, hitting deep even for those familiar with this type of story. It also helps that the film has plenty on its mind with a rich text that can be interpreted in multiple different ways. There are pieces of the film that speak to the unique struggles of managing a multicultural family and the relationship between humans and nature. The film isn't afraid to be ambitious in voice, and benefits because of it.
A large reason for this success is the talent of Haarla. Previously proving her talent in Juho Kuosmanen's Compartment No. 6, Haarla is masterful in this role, creating an incredibly powerful performance that demands empathy as she falls further and further away from her expectations for this pivotal life experience. Even when others try to support her, no one can truly understand what Saga is going through, and Haarla's desperation to be truly seen while also spreading herself thin to meet the needs of everyone is brutal to watch in the best of ways. Grint is also strong, but his character is never given the same depth as Haarla's, and ultimately, he is never able to show the same level of depth and personality as he has in other works such as Apple TV+'s Servant.
The third figure in this household is, of course, their baby. With the child largely physically hidden from the audience, mainly brought to life by non-stop loud crying that overtakes multiple scenes, Haarla's other major task is to sell the presence and weight of their child as a looming figure, which she does wonderfully. Far less flashy than her work in Hatchling, Bergholm again crafts an often shocking thriller that isn't afraid to subvert expectations and have fun with its bizarre concepts. While those expecting another standout creature effect with the same level of absurdity as Hatchling might leave the film disappointed, Nightborn is still a wild ride and becomes so much fun as the runtime continues. This tonal shift is a difficult one for both Bergholm and Haarla, but both figures have a clear vision and execute the task with minimal faults.
Nightborn is exactly what one hopes for from a sophomore film. In writing, the film sees the pair of Bergholm and Ilja Rautsi improve on their previous work with a story that is both far cleaner and more engrossing. While the effects might not be as flashy, the film maintains the creativity and spirit of Hatchling, trading its outward iconography for internal meaning. The film is an effective ride, knowing both when to be brutal and when to be exceptionally fun, standing tall as one of the horror highlights of the year.
Over the last decade, cinema has become obsessed with examining the complex emotions of motherhood, especially in the horror genre. From The Babadook to Run Rabbit Run, countless examples of films exploring similar themes can be found, running the risk of overexposing the concept and leaving nothing left to say. Nightborn bucks this concern, showing that there is still plenty of life to be found within this angle. While there are other films with similar themes to Nightborn, few capture the physicality of motherhood as effectively, with Saga's experience being truly nightmarish. As she lacks the typical connection one might expect between mother and child, she has no rose-colored glasses tinting her experience of expected servitude towards her child, who both emotionally and physically dominates her life. Saga is tired and is consistently put through physical suffering to care for her baby. She has to deal with the expectations placed on motherhood, not only to be the perfect caretaker of her family but also to have a profound euphoric reaction to the experience. The postpartum depression on display is perhaps one of the most vicious and grounded examples of the emotion seen, hitting deep even for those familiar with this type of story. It also helps that the film has plenty on its mind with a rich text that can be interpreted in multiple different ways. There are pieces of the film that speak to the unique struggles of managing a multicultural family and the relationship between humans and nature. The film isn't afraid to be ambitious in voice, and benefits because of it.
A large reason for this success is the talent of Haarla. Previously proving her talent in Juho Kuosmanen's Compartment No. 6, Haarla is masterful in this role, creating an incredibly powerful performance that demands empathy as she falls further and further away from her expectations for this pivotal life experience. Even when others try to support her, no one can truly understand what Saga is going through, and Haarla's desperation to be truly seen while also spreading herself thin to meet the needs of everyone is brutal to watch in the best of ways. Grint is also strong, but his character is never given the same depth as Haarla's, and ultimately, he is never able to show the same level of depth and personality as he has in other works such as Apple TV+'s Servant.
The third figure in this household is, of course, their baby. With the child largely physically hidden from the audience, mainly brought to life by non-stop loud crying that overtakes multiple scenes, Haarla's other major task is to sell the presence and weight of their child as a looming figure, which she does wonderfully. Far less flashy than her work in Hatchling, Bergholm again crafts an often shocking thriller that isn't afraid to subvert expectations and have fun with its bizarre concepts. While those expecting another standout creature effect with the same level of absurdity as Hatchling might leave the film disappointed, Nightborn is still a wild ride and becomes so much fun as the runtime continues. This tonal shift is a difficult one for both Bergholm and Haarla, but both figures have a clear vision and execute the task with minimal faults.
Nightborn is exactly what one hopes for from a sophomore film. In writing, the film sees the pair of Bergholm and Ilja Rautsi improve on their previous work with a story that is both far cleaner and more engrossing. While the effects might not be as flashy, the film maintains the creativity and spirit of Hatchling, trading its outward iconography for internal meaning. The film is an effective ride, knowing both when to be brutal and when to be exceptionally fun, standing tall as one of the horror highlights of the year.