Nightborn horror film sparks debate over unsettling birth scenes

Finnish director Hanna Bergholm’s body‑horror drama Nightborn, starring Rupert Grint and Seidi Haarla, premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival before winning Best Film at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival. The film follows a couple who move to an isolated forest house in Finland, where the birth of their child quickly turns into a nightmarish experience, featuring graphic birthing and breastfeeding scenes that the director says aim to expose the physical and psychological challenges of parenthood. In an interview, Bergholm explained she wanted to break the taboo around birth in cinema, while Haarla described the demanding physical performance required. Nightborn will begin streaming on Shudder on 31 July 2026.