Review by Eric Hillis
Directed by: Hanna Bergholm
Starring: Seidi Haarla, Rupert Grint, Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey, John Thomson
Pregnancy horror movies fall into one of two categories. There are those, like Rosemary's Baby, that play out during the pregnancy term, and there are others, like It's Alive, that focus on the horrors that arise once the child is born. They all tend to share a female protagonist's fear that her child, whether it's inside or outside of her womb, is something monstrous.
That's the case once again with Nightborn, the sophomore feature from Finnish director Hanna Bergholm. Hatching, Bergholm's impressive debut, saw a young girl raise what she mistakenly believed was a bird, only for it to turn into a monster. Nightborn sees Bergholm rehash this premise, but here it's an infant human that causes doubts.
Saga (Seidi Haarla) and her English husband Jon (Rupert Grint) move into the home in rural Finland she inherited from her grandmother. It's the definition of a fixer-upper, with plants growing up through the floorboards, but somehow they turn it into a home fit to raise a child in. That child arrives in striking fashion, Bergholm match-cutting from Saga in the throes of sexual ecstasy to her screaming her head off as the baby pops its head out of her nether regions, splashing Jon with blood in the process.
Nightborn follows a well-worn path, with Saga convinced her child is a demon while Jon tries to reassure her that all is fine and she just needs to see a therapist. But what's clever about Bergholm's take on this setup is that she leaves a lot of room for doubt as to whether Saga's fears are justified. Much of its horror is grounded in the real life tribulations of child-rearing, and at times it plays like a Finnish cousin of We Need to Talk About Kevin.
The questions over whether Saga has given birth to a demon or she's simply suffering from extreme post-partum depression blurs the line between victim and antagonist. Should we be worried about Saga or her baby? Bergholm manufactures enough empathy for both. There is even a degree of sympathy for the devil here, as Nightborn suggests that even if the child is a demon, would that justify neglecting to raise it with the love we would give a normal child? Saga finds herself torn between her fear and her maternal instincts, willingly feeding the child cow's blood to keep it from sucking her own sangria.
Nightborn is an especially grisly take on this subject, and any parents who have gone through similar real life experiences may find it a difficult watch. But there are also touches of very black Scandinavian humour. The initial plan is to name the child "Christian" to please Jon's pastor father, and one of the biggest laughs comes when Saga looks at the little devil and asks "does he really look like a Christian?"
As with Hatching, Bergholm once again displays an attention to detail in her film's production design that you rarely see in such low budget horror fare. The house and its wooded surrounds evoke classic Northern European fairy tales, tree barks sporting gruesome faces and branches taking the shape of hands with spindly fingers. There is a subtle nod to Evil Dead when Saga tries to make her way through some shrubs and they appear to claw at her.
There's a lot of stuff horror fans will have seen before here, but Bergholm ensures her take on this sub-genre feels fresh due to her integration of Finnish folklore with very relatable apprehensions around child-raising. Not one I'd recommend to any expectant couples though.
Nightborn is on Shudder from July 31st.
