"Yön lapsi": When a baby becomes a real horror - and that's not even the scariest part

What is the movie about?

A story about a young couple: a Finn Saga and a Brit John, who move to an abandoned house in the forest to start a new life. It's a pretty standard beginning, so there's nothing interesting here, but the interesting starts right at the beginning, when the couple begins to explore the place they find themselves in. Starting a new life, the couple decides to have a child, but their baby is no ordinary child. (more details under the spoiler at the bottom of the review)

Director Hanna Bergholm (she shot the famous horror film "Skrezhet / Hatching") skillfully combines horror, fantasy and family drama. And although the film immediately makes it clear that the child is not quite a person, there are no secrets here, the main intrigue is not in this, but in whether the parents will be able to accept their terrifying child, and what they are willing to do for him.

What really succeeded?

The most interesting thing about "Child of the Night" is how the director turns ordinary parental worries into scenes that make you want to shudder in disgust and widen your eyes at the same time. The actors play their roles to the fullest: Seida Haarla (Saga) and Rupert Grint (the same Ron Weasley from "Harry Potter") play quite believably, but the director's twists make some scenes too childish, and the viewer looks at it as something very strange and illogical. The fairy-tale landscapes, the creepy interior of the house, and most importantly the baby himself, created with the help of dolls and computer graphics, look like a fairy tale from books.

What Went Wrong?

The main weakness of the film is its metaphorical nature, because viewers will often see strange plot transitions on the screen, a change in location or season, and the viewer does not always immediately understand what happened, whether it is a dream of the main characters or is it all for real. The main problem is that the film does not explain who the child really is: a vampire, a troll or something else. That is, the viewer has to guess what happened and who is who.

Summary

«Child of the Night» is a strange and bloody horror that is not afraid to experiment. It is not for everyone and that is definitely a fact: if you are waiting for a classic horror film with a clear explanation of everything that is happening, then you can safely pass by. But if you like films that balance on the edge of absurdity and seriousness and you are ready to understand or accept what others shudder at, then yes, this Finnish experiment is worth your evening.