Horror movies aren't always about ghosts, demons, or jump scares that terrify you. True horror can also get inside your mind, creating a sense of impending doom and making the audience hold their breath. The Finnish movie 'Pahanhautoja' (Hatching in English) exemplifies this with its wild imagination and unsettling atmosphere.

Directed by Hanna Bergholm and starring Siiri Solalinna and Sophia Heikkilä, the film follows 12-year-old Tinja, who discovers a mysterious egg. When she brings it home, the egg eventually hatches into a monster, leading to a disturbing turn of events.

The movie essentially explores the theme of lovelessness and how it can foster vile environments or monstrous behaviour. Tinja’s mother is obsessed with crafting a picture-perfect family for Instagram, imposing unrealistic expectations on Tinja. While their family appears normal on the outside, they are all deeply unhappy, masking the reality of their broken relationships. Tinja desperately seeks her mother's approval and is willing to go to great lengths to earn it.

Director Hanna Bergholm creates a tense atmosphere in the movie, subtly hinting from the start that something is terribly wrong with this family. The narrative descends into chaos after an egg hatches, revealing a hideous bird-like creature that begins to see Tinja as a mother figure. The creature's repulsive appearance and behaviour, such as feeding exclusively on Tinja’s vomit, add to the discomfort. Bergholm includes many such elements to evoke a sense of extreme unease in the audience.