Mudborn

Name: Mudborn
Director: Shieh Meng-ju
Genre: Horror
Released: 2025-10-09
Duration: 1h 51m
Rating: 6.8
Cast: Tony Yang, Cecilia Choi, Derek Chang, Tracy Chou, Puff Kuo

Oct 09, 2025 Horror · Nearly two hours allows the domestic dread to build methodically without overstaying its welcome.

Insufficient data available

5.8/10

IMDb

★

2.58/5

Letterboxd

🎬

7.1/10

TMDB

Rewatch

diminishing returns

Attention

full focus

Phone-check

low

The brief

Director Shieh Meng-ju builds dread with the patience of a slow burn, letting domestic paranoia creep through every frame as a couple's home becomes increasingly hostile territory. Tony Yang and Cecilia Choi anchor the horror in believable marital tension, with Choi's obsessive performance selling the psychological unraveling without ever going full camp. The film leans heavily into traditional Taiwanese folk horror elements, creating an atmosphere that feels both ancient and uncomfortably modern. Perfect for fans of The Wailing or Incantation who want their scares rooted in cultural mythology rather than cheap jump cuts.

domestic paranoia taiwanese folk horror slow-burn dread marital tension ancient curse psychological unraveling cultural mythology

The verdict

If you crave atmospheric folk horror that prioritizes cultural dread over cheap scares and can handle a deliberate 111-minute burn, this is essential viewing for fans of elevated Asian horror. If you need faster pacing or aren't drawn to mythology-heavy supernatural stories, stick with more accessible horror that doesn't demand as much patience.

Watch with

👤 Horror fans who appreciate slow builds
👫 Couples interested in relationship horror
⚠️ Not suitable for pregnancy anxiety triggers

Heads up

Pregnancy-related horror and anxiety (moderate)
Supernatural possession themes (moderate)
Psychological deterioration (moderate)
Traditional spiritual/occult content (moderate)

Credits

Director: Shieh Meng-ju
Cast: Tony Yang, Cecilia Choi, Derek Chang, Tracy Chou, Puff Kuo, Chen Wei-min, Li Kuan-yi

Official synopsis

Hsu-Chuan, who works at a game company, accidentally brings home a broken clay doll from a haunted house while developing a new horror VR game. Unexpectedly, his pregnant wife, Mu-Hua, a cultural relic restorer, develops an obsession with the doll and relentlessly tries to repair it. As strange things begin to happen in the house, Mu-Hua's condition deteriorates, and Hsu-Chuan, at his wits' end, seeks help from a spiritual medium, Ah-Sheng. Meanwhile, the horrifying secret hidden behind the clay doll begins to surface.