Common Sense Media Review
By Jose Solis
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Taiwanese horror with scary scenes, blood, and peril.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mudborn
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In MUDBORN, Chang Hsu-Chuan (Yo Yang), a video game developer, is trying to protect his pregnant wife, Hsu Mu-hua (Cecilia Choi), after a supernatural force latches onto her and begins to threaten both her and their unborn child. As Mu-hua's condition grows more disturbing, Hsu-Chuan turns to Ah-sheng (Derek Chang), a folklorist and exorcist whose knowledge of the spirit world may be the only way to stop what has taken hold of her.
Is It Any Good?
A ghost story built around VR headsets, security cameras, and a pregnant woman under supernatural threat has every reason to feel overstuffed, but the elements surprisingly work here. Mudborn uses familiar technology in ways that feel eerie and inventive rather than gimmicky, and the jump scares land because they feel fresh. The danger also carries more weight because the story keeps returning to the vulnerability of Mu-hua and her unborn child, which charges the horror through pure emotion.
The film stands out because of the way it draws on Taoist myths, symbols, and rituals. Those details give the exorcism scenes a cultural specificity that makes them feel exciting. Cecilia Choi brings real feeling to Mu-hua, especially as the character shifts into possession, and Derek Chang is such a compelling presence as the exorcist Ah-sheng that he makes you want a whole series built around him. By the end, the movie opens out into something creepy that will appeal to older teens and horror-loving adults.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what the movie suggests about the difference between respecting a tradition and dismissing it before you understand it.
How do Hsu-Chuan, Mu-hua, and Ah-sheng each show care for other people, especially when fear starts taking over?
Why do you think horror movies often use home and family as the place where fear begins?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 9, 2026
- Cast : Yo Yang
- Director : Meng-Ju Shieh
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Director(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy ( Ghosts )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Courage
- Run time : 111 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : April 20, 2026
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