Hatching
IFC Midnight | Release Date: April 29, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
1
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
92
TheWrapLena WilsonApr 29, 2022
It is subversive, stomach-churning and visionary, a body-horror film that doubles as a fable of femininity gone wrong. Read full review
91
The PlaylistRobert DanielsJan 26, 2022
Hatching, a smartly constructed fright machine, not only introduces a new and exciting voice to the horror landscape but cracks its way through the brain like a beak through a shell. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubRichard NewbyApr 28, 2022
Hatching is an efficiently told fable, the moral of which is multilayered, making the ending a puzzling emotional experience that both begs for resolution and feels like a confident choice for a first time filmmaker. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Xan BrooksSep 20, 2022
Bergholm gives us precision-tooled jump scares and creeping, clammy atmospherics; a malevolent mother and an insurrectionist child. Read full review
80
EmpireSophie ButcherSep 19, 2022
A creepy, compelling creature-feature packed with interesting themes, and carried by an impressive lead performance. Cracking stuff. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 14, 2022
An elegantly horrible coming-of-age. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisApr 28, 2022
A sometimes uneasy merger of monster movie and psychological horror — with a dollop of social-media satire — this inventive first feature mines tween confusion (there are nods to both bulimia and menstruation) for grotesque fun. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshApr 28, 2022
Like many great monster movies, Hatching uses its creature as a metaphor for repressed emotion, and the one at the center of this film is one of the most uniquely grotesque creations seen on screen in a long time. Read full review
80
Paste MagazineNatalia KeoganApr 26, 2022
Considering the constant glut of mid-tier horror, it’s refreshing to encounter a film that’s rooted in traditional genre filmmaking without buckling under the weight of its influences. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJan 26, 2022
A fascinating window into the psychological and emotional minefield of early puberty and the torn feelings of a vulnerable child watching her darkest instincts play out, Hatching delivers. Read full review
80
Screen DailyNikki BaughanJan 26, 2022
Probing issues of motherhood, adolescence and identity with a delicate dramatic touch while expertly harnessing some outre genre elements, Hatching is a bold, arresting feature debut from Finnish director Hanna Bergholm. Read full review
80
VarietyTomris LafflyJan 26, 2022
Amid the mischievous mayhem that ensues, Bergholm and Rautsi deserve credit for not abandoning Tinja’s mother. Read full review
79
PolygonTasha RobinsonJan 27, 2022
Timid viewers who are normally averse to horror aren’t going to find much comfort or safety in this movie. But for longtime horror buffs, this feels like something fresh: a simple story, told in the rawest and most startling way, and given a face out of nightmares. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMay 3, 2022
Hatching has the quality of a fable, and like the best fables, it has meanings that reverberate well beyond its story. Read full review
75
The Associated PressLindsey BahrApr 27, 2022
Hatching is an assured and promising debut for Bergholm with a jaw-dropping ending that may just cement it as a cult classic in the making. Read full review
75
The Film StageBrianna ZiglerJan 26, 2022
Bergholm’s debut is ultimately a knotty delight, however on-the-nose its metaphor about those monsters we fashion from our own disfigured forms of love. Read full review
75
IndieWireKate ErblandJan 26, 2022
Bergholm is skilled at keeping the tension high while finding amusing pockets of pure comedy (whatever Volanen is doing is genius, full stop), but the power of “Hatching” is diluted during a final act that can’t quite thread the needle between empathy and insanity. Read full review
70
Little White LiesMarina AshiotiSep 14, 2022
Stylistic absurdity, on-the-nose satire, delightful gore and ruminations on the abject monstrous feminine provide a great formula that elevates Hatching, while the outstanding camera work, lighting, detailed production design and sharp editing make the film all the more impressive. Read full review
70
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaApr 29, 2022
Hatching is a scattered body-horror romp with the best child performance this year. Read full review
70
Film ThreatRob RectorJan 26, 2022
Hatching is the very essence of a midnight movie and one that will undoubtedly find a sizeable cult following. Sure, its metaphor isn’t as deep as it thinks it is, but this is certainly a solid start for director Bergolm and lead Solalinna. Read full review
70
SlashfilmBen PearsonJan 26, 2022
While it doesn't break any new ground in the horror space or do anything super mind-blowing from a narrative perspective, Hatching is a successful (if somewhat flat) exploration of that transitional period in one's life when an earlier version of yourself dies and a new version stands in its place. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfApr 28, 2022
Hatching does its best at cracking the surface, but never quite sinks its claws as deep as it wants to. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 21, 2022
Hatching, titled Pahanhautoja in Finnish, is a sins-of-the-mother creature feature parable played out in blunt, gruesome strokes in director Hanna Bergholm’s film, based on a script by Ilja Rautsi. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsApr 29, 2022
I often wished there was more to Hatching than just a few weak digs at bad mothers who are a little too online. Maybe you have to be Finnish to see Hatching as a blistering and culturally specific satire. Or maybe there’s just not much to get about the movie. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonJan 31, 2022
The ham-handed allegorical construction, generically titled characters, and self-serious tone in its final third drains the story of the specificity that might have resulted in a more incisive critique of the perils of perfectionism. Read full review
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