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Nightborn

Play trailer 1:47 Poster for Nightborn 2026 1h 32m Mystery & Thriller Horror Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 61 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A dark fantasy happening over the course of one year. NIGHTBORN is a harrowing dive into a nightmare of motherhood and the painful side of motherly love.
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Nightborn

Nightborn

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Critics Consensus

Turning postpartum anxieties into a very real nightmare, this creepy and unsubtle horror movie gets its most lasting impact from Seidi Haarla's unnervingly raw star turn.

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Critics Reviews

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Jared Richards The Age (Australia) Aug 3
2/5
Haarla captures slipping sanity well, and Nightborn is refreshingly resistant to elevated horror’s insistence on metaphor. But it’s otherwise unremarkable. Go to Full Review
David Ehrlich IndieWire Jul 31
B-
Nightborn is ultimately less interested in framing motherhood as a horror movie than it is in exploring why people refuse to see it that way. Which isn’t to suggest that it’s not interested in framing motherhood as a horror movie. Go to Full Review
Peyton Robinson RogerEbert.com Jul 31
2.5/4
So while built on an excellent screenplay and grounded center, [it] falls victim to fatiguing its elements through overzealous, flustered execution. Go to Full Review
Brett Arnold Yahoo.com Aug 26
The nasty body horror, combined with practical effects like puppets and animatronics for the scary, cursed baby, makes it fun enough to recommend to fans of genre fare. Go to Full Review
André Didyme-Dôme Rolling Stone en Español Aug 18
Nightborn once again demonstrates Hanna Bergholm's remarkable ability to transform the most intimate conflicts into physical nightmares, but it also reveals that the best metaphors need to evolve. [Full review in spanish] Go to Full Review
Sebastian Zavala Kahn Me gusta el cine Aug 11
3.5/5
It works as a good horror drama with solid performances, a highly metaphorical narrative, and very disturbing moments. [Full review in Spanish.] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Eron E @RT43193013 1d Annoying choice to have the baby screeching the whole damn movie makes it unwatchable, Rupert is great but could barely make it half way definitely poor directing and decisions. I hope the director never makes another film See more Elisha I @asapidox 3d Honestly, I really didn’t like this one. It was boring, the story didn’t really work for me, and I struggled to stay interested. Definitely one of my lowest-rated watches. See more P T @RT42531504 Aug 23 Weird and ambiguous...zero lore or direction. I guess if you're looking for a supernatural story to explain PPD then it works, but otherwise its kindof a pointless movie starring Ron Weasley. See more Sarah S @SarahStubbsSays Aug 21 I got what I wanted from this... Nice bit of folk horror... I'm not mad at it. See more sebastian andres O @Yoamoalcine Aug 20 The truth is, this film isn't for everyone. If you're sensitive, it will make you quite uncomfortable, but if you enjoy this type of cinema, it's a very well-crafted piece. The film delivers, although it has weaker moments than others, but overall it works quite well. It's frightening in certain parts, but it's unsettling from beginning to end. It's uncomfortable, of course, and if you're a mother, you'll notice that it carries a clear message, which is very well received as long as you understand what the director is aiming for. This film offers a taste of the folk cinema that so often proves remarkable. In this case, despite some ups and downs, it becomes a solid option for maternal horror. See more Horizon T @RT29065119 Aug 16 It was annoying yes, But it's a story worth a watch. See more Read all reviews
Nightborn

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Movie Info

Synopsis A dark fantasy happening over the course of one year. NIGHTBORN is a harrowing dive into a nightmare of motherhood and the painful side of motherly love.
Director
Hanna Bergholm
Producer
Daniel Kuitunen, Noémie Devide
Screenwriter
Hanna Bergholm, Ilja Rautsi
Distributor
Shudder
Production Co
Elokuvayhtiö Komeetta, Bluelight Films, Eurimages, British Film Institute, Filmai LT, Yleisradio, Getaway Films
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Horror, Drama
Original Language
Finnish
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 31, 2026
Runtime
1h 32m
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