Brightburn

On a quiet farm in Kansas, a mysterious crash delivers an infant from the stars. The couple who finds him raise him as their son, believing they've been blessed. He grows up polite, gifted, and outwardly normal, yet beneath the surface a darker impulse begins to stir. As he matures, powers surge with alarming force and a chilling lack of empathy, turning small moments into threats. The family clings to routines while rumors swirl and fear edges into the town. What starts as a strange guardian tale shifts into a bleak meditation on power and belonging without offering easy answers. The tone blends intimate family drama with shocking spectacle, keeping the tension high as the story unfolds.

Directed by David Yarovesky from an original screenplay by Brian and Mark Gunn, Brightburn arrived in 2019 as an inventive riff on the superhero myth. It stars Jackson A. Dunn, Elizabeth Banks, and David Denman, with striking practical effects throughout.

Brightburn grossed about $33.22 million worldwide, on a budget of roughly $6 million, signifying solid profitability for a mid-budget horror release. Its returns reflected strong audience appetite for dark takes on familiar hero tropes. The release captivated genre fans and curious newcomers.

The film sparked conversations about parental boundaries when a child wields power. Its collision of a familiar family drama with a cosmic menace lingered in horror circles and sparked comparisons to classic hero myths, inviting debates about what makes a true protector and how far power can bend morality.

Reception was mixed; some critics praised its mood and daring premise while others found pacing uneven. Thematically, it uses Brandon's alien upbringing to explore nature versus nurture and asks whether a protector can exist without crossing lines in a world that fears what it cannot control. Its tone and visuals linger after the credits.