Hysteria Fest 25' Motherhood Turns Monstrous in The Baby - short review

Taylor Bustamante’s The Baby explores the dark side of motherhood in this chilling short at Hysteria Fest 2025.

Screening at Hysteria Film Fest 2025

Rating: ★★★☆☆

From the moment The Baby opens, you’re steeped in a distinctly French styled horror atmosphere—one dripping with dread, obsession, and the unnerving tension of a woman on the edge. Director Taylor Bustamante dives headfirst into themes of maternal fixation with a short that’s equal parts stylish and sinister.

At the center of the story is Casey, played with eerie precision by Serra Naiman. Casey is a woman consumed by the idea of motherhood, yet it’s clear from the outset that something darker festers beneath the surface. What makes The Baby stand out isn’t just its narrative parallels to cult classics like Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s Inside, but how confidently it executes on visual tone and character duality.

The cinematography is deliberate and composed—camera work that doesn’t just frame but shapes the mood. Bustamante and crew have a clear vision for the kind of horror they’re crafting: unsettling, stylized, and emotional. Their command of composition and atmosphere gives The Baby an edge, even among more polished indie shorts.

But it’s Naiman's performance that anchors the unease. She shifts from fragile to fierce in the blink of an eye, giving us those polarizing emotional moments that push genre horror beyond its tropes. You’re not just watching a woman unravel—you’re invited to question whether she was ever stable to begin with.

Clocking in at just over 15 minutes, The Baby may have found hurdles getting into certain festivals, given the bias many programmers have against mid-length shorts. But its quality is undeniable. It’s the kind of film that might not make every lineup—but any fest that screens it is better for it.

At Hysteria Fest 2025, The Baby is a must-watch for fans of psychological horror, maternal terror, and filmmakers who wear their inspirations on their sleeve while still carving out something deeply personal.

We’re giving it 3 out of 5, and we’ll be sitting down with Taylor Bustamante later this week to go deeper into the making of this beautifully bleak vision.

The Baby

Written and directed by Taylor Bustamante

Starring Serra Naiman, Emily Steelhammer, Shay and Alan Kornfeld.