Birthrite – Movie Review (3/5)

BIRTHRITE is a new horror thriller featuring a pregnancy story. Also, there’s a lore of witches and the curse of your family tree. In other words, the title is a good indicator of what the plot entails. Read our full Birthrite movie review here!

BIRTHRITE is a horror thriller coming to US theaters and out On Demand. If you’re expecting or trying to get pregnant, this may be one to skip if you’re sensitive to those stories. Hey, no judgment, just trying to give you a heads up. It is a good movie… but quite brutal.

Also, the couple at the center of the story consists of two women, so we’re getting a queer couple. The fact that they’re gay is a complete non-issue (as it should be), and I loved that. The runtime is 100 minutes, which turned out to be a little longer than optimal, but not by too much.

Continue reading our Birthrite movie review below. Find it In Theaters & On Demand from August 8, 2025.

A surprise inheritance

When Birthrite opens, it’s with a happy couple being shown a big house in a rural small town. The house is theirs for the taking as it has been bequeathed to one of them. Apparently, it belonged to an unknown sister of Wren’s mother.

Wren has been having a hard time living in the city ever since a traumatic event that I won’t reveal here. Also, as Wren and her girlfriend (not yet wife, as Wren keeps mentioning) are getting ready for the next stage of their lives, this house could be the perfect place to start a family.

Unfortunately, there’s much more to this house than what they’re told at first. Or rather, there was more to Wren’s aunt than what she could possibly have imagined. This is what will soon come to threaten the life of their unborn child.

In Birthrite, we’re dealing with both a karmic inheritance and a town that has a cursed history. Who can they trust? And will they be able to stay together and face the storm ahead as a team?!

Great casting and a solid lore plot

I don’t know what it is, but these days I somehow end up watching movies and reading books featuring witches in some capacity. Shout out to the amazing Grady Hendrix book “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls,” which also features a pregnancy plot.

Anyway, the witch-driven lore of the small town in Birthrite works really well. I can’t claim I feel it was fully covered as well as it could have been, but I enjoyed the ride and even appreciated the rather brutal elements of the Birthrite ending.

However, I also acknowledge that this movie could have fallen flat on its proverbial face if the casting hadn’t been spot on. As the loving couple at the center of the story, we have Alice Kremelberg (Teacup) as Wren and Juani Feliz (Civil War) as Maya.

As a couple, I accepted them as very believable immediately. There’s both good chemistry and all the issues necessary to make the plot work.

Also in key roles are Michael Chernus (Dead Ringers, Severance), Owen Campbell (X, Super Dark Times), Patch Darragh (Long Bright River), and Jennifer Lafleur (From Black).

Watch Birthrite in Theaters or On Demand

Birthrite comes from director Ross Partridge, who previously directed four episodes of the genre anthology series Room 104, created by the Duplass Brothers. He also directed and co-wrote the 2015 movie Lamb, which he also starred in.

The screenplay comes from Patch Darragh (who also has a small role in the movie as a doctor) and Erin Gann. It’s the first writing credit for both Patch Darragh and Erin Gann, but hopefully, it won’t be their last.

If you enjoy movies with ancient lore and stories about witches and demons, then Birthrite should be right up your alley. Had it been a little tighter in plot and pacing, we could’ve ended on a higher rating, so it’s a definite recommendation.

Birthrite is out in Theaters and On Demand on August 8, 2025.

Details

Directed by: Ross Partridge
Writers: Patch Darragh, Erin Gann
Cast: Alice Kremelberg, Juani Feliz, Michael Chernus, Patch Darragh, Owen Campbell, Jennifer Lafleur, Henny Russell