‘Nightborn’ Review: Parenting Is a Nightmare in This Darkly Funny and Unabashedly Gory Horror Flick From Finland

February 15, 2026 - 10:24

The terrifying and often hilarious trials of new parenthood are pushed to a bloody extreme in the new Finnish horror film 'Nightborn.' Directed by Hanna Bergholm, the film serves as a darkly comedic follow-up to her celebrated body-horror debut, 'Hatching.'

The story centers on first-time parents, portrayed by Seida Haarla and Rupert Grint, whose overwhelming anxiety and exhaustion manifest in a truly monstrous way. Their deepest fears about their capabilities, and perhaps about their child itself, begin to curdle into a tangible, gory reality. What follows is a visceral and unsettling exploration of parental dread, where sleep deprivation and self-doubt are not just metaphors but the breeding ground for something unspeakable.

Bergholm masterfully blends unsettling horror with sharp, relatable humor, crafting scenes that are as likely to provoke a nervous laugh as a genuine shudder. The film does not shy away from spectacularly grotesque imagery, using its unabashed gore to underscore the raw, messy, and sometimes frightening reality of bringing new life into the world. At its core, 'Nightborn' is a cleverly disguised nightmare, asking how far one would go to protect their family, especially from the monster they might have created themselves.