That’s nature…you can’t fight it.
Eco horror meets folk horror is the latest from writer-director, Hanna Bergholm (Hatching). Rooted in Finnish folklore, Bergholm explores themes of motherhood and postpartum struggles with undertones of eco horror that show just how far Mother Nature will go to protect herself and what she deems worth protecting.
Sex, Trolls, and Bad Husbands
Saga (Seidi Haarla) and Jon (Rupert Grint) are about to raise a family. Nightborn (Yön Lapsi) starts off like most folk horror films, a couple leaving the city to be close to nature and return to their roots. Saga’s family is Finnish and they decide to restore her family’s old home to raise their children. However, the forest surrounding the home has secrets, secrets that affect them after the pair have sex against a tree resulting in a screeching troll baby that ruins their dreams.
When Saga gives birth, you’ll be reminded of recent films such as The First Omen, as Bergholm doesn’t hold back from baring it all to the camera. This continues when she breastfeeds and uses the bathroom for the first time. This one isn’t for the squeamish. Bergholm does a good job of showing just how hard postpartum can be on women’s bodies and how nonchalant men can be about it all. Jon’s role as a helpful father alongside Saga, is made to feel overbearing and downright critical of her. Unfortunately, Jon remains pretty aloof and dismissive throughout the film, never really seeing Saga’s struggles or attempting to understand her.
Not This Baby
When Kuura is born, Saga can tell there is something off about him. But of course everyone else is blind to that fact. Bergholm’s choice to hide Kuura’s face for 99% of the film was to create more mystery around what exactly is wrong with this baby. Kuura is often cast in darkness or turned completely away from the camera. While it could have made him feel more sinister, it does the opposite for me. Utilizing puppetry here like in her previous film, Hatching, we see the forest come alive, visually strengthening the storytelling.
Seidi Haarla leans into her role as a detached, exhausted, traumatized mother who wants nothing more than to be free of her child. She’s otherworldly at times, unafraid to express her feral-ness when needed. When Saga finally begins to connect with Kuura, she loses herself completely to him and his needs. Jon, who is barely around, sees the two becoming more and more creaturesque, and attempts to regain some sense of control in his home. Bergholm’s use of the forest setting and sound design helps bring the outside in and Jon realizes too late, that you indeed, can not fight nature.
While there are some moments that make Nightborn feel fresh, more often than not, it is exactly what you’d expect. Bergholm and co-writer Ilja Rautsi don’t cover new ground here, leaving me feeling like this is something I’ve seen before. But Haarla’s authentic and raw performance makes this one worth watching.
* Nightborn will arrive on Shudder July 31st, 2026.
