BREEDER is a psychological horror movie that was better than I expected. The intriguing premise, which I found brilliant in its horror, delivers terrifying moments through its character-driven storyline. Read our full Breedermovie review here!
BREEDER is a psychological horror movie with a character-driven storyline. Two things I love in my genre movies. And what made it even better was an amazing Dot-Marie Jones as the title character. A woman who has been successfully breeding dogs, and has now moved on… to humans.
That premise is as simple as it is brilliant. Well, to me, anyway. As much as this is a horror thriller, there is a much-needed element of dark comedy that makes the story easier to accept. Of course, in several fundamental religious groups, the concept of non-stop breeding is very real, so this isn’t that much of a stretch. Not at all.
Continue reading our Breedermovie review below. Find it in Theaters from October 28, 2026, and on Shudder later.
Do not mess with Patti
At the center of Breeder is Dot-Marie Jones as the title character, “Patti”. You do not mess with Patti, who has been a successful poodle breeder for years and has now turned her breeding expertise into a new niche. The eccentric breeder is breeding humans.
And again, this may be a horror movie, but with the money in surrogacy pregnancies and the corrupt adoption agency stories from several countries, the plot is not that far-fetched.
However, what Breeder does differently is that Patti wants to find the perfect matches for her “litters”. Also, her “bitches” are her pride and joy, while her “studs” are only really needed for one thing. This is not good news for a college student, taking a break from getting his PhD to secure funding for his project.
Patti offers to fund his project (which involved helping bees thrive) and is very direct and honest about what she wants in return: He has to become a “stud” in her breeding program. Also, he has to follow her rules, which does seem to be more difficult for him.
The horror of breeding stories
Whenever it comes to these “breeding” storylines, my mind immediately goes to The X Files episode “Home”. A more recent reference would be Bone Tomahawk. However, this 2026 horror-thriller with a dark comedy twist doesn’t go the usual route.
Mostly because Patti focuses her breeding on keeping the expecting mothers healthy and close to her. In this particular breeding case, Ainsley (Maddie Phillips from Gen V) is selected as the perfect mate for her new stud, Russell (Daniel Doheny from Brand New Cherry Flavor).
Also in a key role, we have Tanaya Beatty (In the Blink of an Eye) as the girlfriend of Russell, who finds Patti strange from the get-go. Really, most people would find an eccentric poodle breeder offering to fund a bee study somewhat strange.
Watch Breeder in theaters and on Shudder later
This horror movie comes from Alex Goyette, who is both the director and writer. The movie is billed as “From the Studio that brought you Late Night with the Devil&The Babadook“, and I can see why. All three movies have their own distinct brand of horror, which means I highly recommend that you watch this one as well.
Breeder is a well-made movie with a solid plot, fascinating characters, and a great cast. That’s really all you need to know. Also, it is very entertaining, with its dark comedy ensuring the pure horror of the storyline comes together.
Dot-Marie Jones (The Shards, 3 from Hell, Glee) is absolutely perfectly cast as Patti, who comes across as extremely eccentric, but also strangely trustworthy. I mean, not that I would put my trust in her, but she does not try to deceive anyone. It’s just that you won’t feel you can trust her brutal honesty.
If we gave half ratings, I would not hesitate to give this one 3½. It does get closer to a 4 out of 5 than I expected before watching it. A release in time for Halloween is perfect (as is the 97-minute runtime), and it’s worth watching in a theater.
Breeder is out in Theaters on October 28, 2026, and will be on Shudder later.
An eccentric poodle breeder lures a broke college student to her remote ranch with a promise of research funding. But, as he soon learns, there’s a catch.
Details
Director: Alex Goyette
Written by: Alex Goyette
Cast: Daniel Doheny, Dot-Marie Jones, Maddie Phillips, Tanaya Beatty, Paige McGarvin
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Karina “ScreamQueen” Adelgaard
– Karina is a horror reviewer at Heaven of Horror, better known as ScreamQueen for good reason. She loves psychological horror, survival stories, kick-ass women, and horror-comedies that don’t take themselves too seriously. She may scream less than she used to, but a good horror movie can still make her jump. There’s one thing she absolutely cannot stand, though: animals being harmed for entertainment. And honestly, who are the real weirdos? Horror fans, or people who think the real-life news isn’t terrifying?
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