Shudder has acquired North American, Australian and New Zealand rights to Nightborn, the latest horror feature from Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm, following its premiere in competition at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year.
The AMC Networks-owned genre streamer acquired the film from international sales company Goodfellas. The film will have its North American premiere at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival on July 22 before debuting on Shudder on July 31.
Bergholm’s follow-up to her 2022 breakout Hatching stars Seidi Haarla (Compartment No. 6) and Rupert Grint (Harry Potter, Servant) as a couple who move into an isolated house deep in the Finnish forest to start a family. After the birth of their son, Saga (Haarla) becomes convinced there is something profoundly wrong with the child, even as those around her dismiss her fears. The cast also includes Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey and John Thomson.
“Hanna Bergholm’s audacious sophomore follow up to Hatching delivers tension and shocking moments surrounding parenthood and self discovery — with a touch of humor,” said Emily Gotto, senior vice president of acquisitions and production at Shudder. “We are thrilled to share Nightborn with audiences.”
Produced by Daniel Kuitunen for Elokuvayhtiö Komeetta Oy, Nightborn debuted in Berlin’s main competition earlier this year, marking Bergholm’s first English-language feature.
In his Hollywood Reporter review, critic Jordan Mintzer described the film as “stomach-churning and thought-provoking,” noting that its horrors function as an exaggerated version of the anxieties many first-time parents experience.
The film explores themes of parenthood that resonated with Grint, himself a father of two. Speaking to THR ahead of the Berlin premiere, Grint said the story reflected fears he experienced as a new parent. “Those first few months can be quite isolating,” Grint said. “It’s a terrible feeling when it should be the most amazing thing, but it can be quite traumatizing.”
The acquisition was negotiated by Gotto on behalf of Shudder and by Goodfellas on behalf of the filmmakers.
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