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| Mudborn Review & Recap: Does Muhua Survive — And Is a Sequel Quietly Brewing? (Credits: Weibo) |
Taiwanese horror “Mudborn” (Ni wa wa) doesn’t just end on a grim note — it twists the knife, then politely asks if you’d like a sequel. The film closes with sacrifice, unresolved spirits, and a mid-credits reveal that feels less like closure and more like a calculated nudge toward chapter two.
At its core, the story follows Hsu-Chuan and Hsu Muhua, a married couple whose lives unravel after a clay doll — already a bad omen if we’re being honest — enters their home.
What begins as strange behaviour quickly escalates into full-blown possession, dragging in talismans, buried trauma, and one very determined supernatural expert, A-Sheng.
By the finale, the film has traded slow-burn dread for high-stakes decisions that leave no one untouched.
The ending hinges on a brutal choice. As the spirits refuse to be contained in anything non-living, Muhua’s unborn child becomes their next target.
It’s the kind of moral dilemma horror thrives on — save the mother or risk everything for the child. Chuan, refusing to play by the script, chooses a third option: he offers himself.
In a moment that’s equal parts tragic and defiant, he draws the spirits into his own body, giving A-Sheng just enough time to seal them away.
The cost is immediate and devastating, with Chuan collapsing after ensuring both his wife and child are safe.
Muhua survives, and more importantly, she gives birth to a healthy daughter.
The film makes a point of grounding its supernatural chaos in something painfully human — grief.
Muhua’s quiet life with her child is tinged with absence, softened only by a digital echo of Chuan preserved through VR.
It’s a strangely modern twist on mourning, where technology becomes both comfort and reminder.
Not exactly a happy ending, but not entirely bleak either — somewhere in that awkward middle ground where horror films like to linger.
Then comes the mid-credits scene, which refuses to let things rest.
A-Sheng, now in possession of multiple talismans, is revealed to be storing them with unsettling intent.
Meanwhile, Liu Yen, sister of the original victim Liu Hsin, appears to be planning something far more dangerous — resurrection.
And yes, the film strongly hints that Chuan might still be alive, albeit in a fragile state.
It’s the kind of reveal that doesn’t confirm anything outright but plants enough doubt to keep audiences theorising.
Fan reactions have been, predictably, all over the place. Some viewers are praising the ending as bold and emotionally grounded, particularly Chuan’s sacrifice, which lands with genuine weight.
Others, however, aren’t entirely convinced by the open-ended nature of the mid-credits twist, arguing it feels more like sequel bait than organic storytelling.
There’s also a fair bit of chatter about the VR element — some calling it a clever emotional bridge, others saying it edges dangerously close to sci-fi sentimentality in what’s otherwise a traditional horror setup.
As for a sequel, nothing is officially locked in, but the groundwork is undeniably there.
The resurrection talisman, Liu Yen’s intentions, and A-Sheng’s expanding role all point towards a larger narrative waiting to unfold.
If anything, “Mudborn” ends less like a conclusion and more like a warning: the real conflict may not have started yet.
For now, the film leaves audiences with a question rather than an answer — is this a story about sacrifice, or the beginning of something far more unsettling?
Either way, it’s got people talking. And if that mid-credits scene did its job, you’re probably already wondering what happens next — and whether you’d actually want to see it.