Berlin Hit "Nightborn" Headlines a Visceral Lineup at HÕFF 2026
Photo: Hanna Bergholm’s "Nightborn".
The Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (HÕFF), the Baltics' premiere genre event and a proud member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), has announced the first wave of titles for its 21st edition.
Running from April 30 to May 2, 2026, the festival promises to bring a blend of high-concept sci-fi, psychological horror, and the brutal new wave of Kazakh cinema to the historic seaside town of Haapsalu.
Opening the festival is Hanna Bergholm’s highly anticipated psychological horror-thriller "Nightborn" (Yön Lapsi). Fresh from its world premiere in the 2026 Berlinale Competition, the film stars Seidi Haarla (Compartment No. 6) and Rupert Grint (Harry Potter) as a couple whose move to an isolated forest home begins a descent into a mythological nightmare.
"Grimly funny and unapologetically visceral," wrote The Hollywood Reporter, while Variety hailed it as an "effective combination of Finnish mythology and Cronenbergian horror."
Despite its global buzz, "Nightborn" will not reach Baltic cinemas until this autumn, making the HÕFF screening a rare early opportunity for local fans.
Photo: The Kazakh Rambo, Aslan (Yerzhan Tusupov).
HÕFF 2026 puts a spotlight on the rise of "New Kazakh Noir," a wave of hard-hitting cinema represented by Darkhan Tolegenov’s "Punishment." A raw, stylized revenge thriller, the film follows a rogue cop’s war against corrupt superiors, highlighting the growing international footprint of Central Asian genre cinema.
Fans of extreme cinema can also look forward to Martijn Smits' "Meat Kills" (2025). Premiering at Austin's Fantastic Fest last year, this Dutch splatter flick — hailed as the bloodiest film ever made in the Netherlands — follows animal rights activists into a pig farm where the tables are violently turned.
The 2025 Danish horror anthology "Adorable Humans" (Yndige mennesker) offers a radical, gloomy reimagining of H.C. Andersen’s classic tales, with directors Kasper Juhl and Pichael Panduro revealing the dark motifs hidden within the master’s original work. The screening marks the 220th anniversary of the legendary author's birth.
"Children, stay away," warns HÕFF director Helmut Jänes.
Photo: Karel Zeman’s "Journey to the Beginning of Time".
The festival's retro programme features two restored classics:
- "Sexmission" (1984): Juliusz Machulski’s legendary Polish sci-fi comedy. HÕFF will screen the fully restored, uncut version, featuring scenes famously censored by Soviet authorities during its original 1980s Baltic release.
- "Journey to the Beginning of Time" (1955): A 70th-anniversary screening of Karel Zeman’s pioneering prehistoric adventure, celebrating the director's enduring influence on visual effects.
The 21st Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival takes place from April 30 – May 2, 2026. The full programme will be announced on April 8, 2026.
