Director Q&A: ‘HATCHING’ cracks into adolescent growing pains with an emotional body horror story

Preston Barta // Features Editor

Looking for a horror movie that isn’t served over easy? Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm whips up a terror called Hatching that creeps, dazzles and leaves emotional scars.

The IFC Midnight release is now available everywhere you rent movies. Need a taste? Imagine some of the heart of E.T., the aesthetics of Dark Crystal, and the story of a classic creature like Frankenstein. It’s tragic but also quite beautiful.

In Hatching, we follow 12-year-old Tinja (Siiri Solalinna), a young gymnast desperate to please her mother (Sophia Heikkilä). Tinja’s mother is the type who tries to uphold the ideal family image. She runs a video blog and pushes her daughter to achieve perfection. But underneath all the well-polished appearances exists something eerie. 

One night, Tinja finds a strange animal egg in the woods. She brings it home and nurtures it in her bed. Soon, Tinja discovers that the egg is growing at an abnormal rate (and to an irregular size). What hatches is… beyond belief.

Fresh Fiction recently had the opportunity to sit down with Bergholm (“Puppet Master” short, Reetta ja Ronja series) to discuss the sound and imagery in her scary-good work. (She even makes some of the monster noises herself.) So, enjoy our video chat below, and catch Hatching from the comfort of your couch right after!