Breeder (2026) IFC/Horror RT: 98 minutes Rated R (disturbing material, violence/bloody images, sexual content, graphic nudity, language) Director: Alex Goyette Screenplay: Alex Goyette Music: Hannah Parrott Cinematography: Jaryl Lim Release date: October 28, 2026 (US) Cast: Daniel Doheny, Dot-Marie Jones, Maddie Phillips, Tanaya Beatty, Lillian Doucet-Roche, Isla Spencer, Paige McGarvin, Charlotte Kavanagh, John Murphy, Carmen Moore, Rochelle Greenwood.
Rating: ***
Did the protagonist of the new horror film Breeder ever see Misery? Does he really not see the complete lack of common sense in going to the remote home of an obviously disturbed middle-aged woman by himself? She could be a serial killer for all he knows which might be preferable to what she actually has in mind for the poor dope.
Written and directed by Alex Goyette (Expelled), Breeder is one f***ed up movie. In order to illustrate this statement, I’m going to have to tell you what’s going on at the ranch of poodle-breeder Patti (Jones, Glee). If you prefer going in cold to a movie, you’ll want to stop reading now. Don’t say I didn’t give you fair warning.
College student Russell (Doheny, Day of the Dead) has put grad school on hold to work on a project that would save bees from extinction. Unfortunately, nobody wants to fund his project. His own girlfriend, humorless Haley (Beatty, Yellowstone), doesn’t even believe in him. She prefers he avoid the topic when having dinner with her mother. Then he gets a letter, along with a $20,000 check, from Patti inviting him to her place to discuss his project. He’d be a fool not to hear her out.
Right from the start, something is off about the woman. She behaves rather erratically. She lives with five young women, her adopted daughters who act more like a cult than family, all of whom appear to be geniuses. One of them, Ainsley (Phillips, Gen V), takes a special interest in Russell. That’s when Patti tells him the real reason she brought him here. She’s interested in eugenics and wants Russell to mate with Ainsley in order to create a person with superior intelligence. If he takes part, she’ll hand him a blank check and carte blanche. It goes without saying that something more sinister than human breeding is going on here.
Patti could very well be a relation of Annie Wilkes with how she runs her house. She makes it clear her word is law and God help anybody who dares challenge it. As long as he’s staying there, Russell is expected to follow every house rule. He’s also expected to share a bed with Ainsley and have sex with her on demand while Patti watches. Meanwhile, Haley worries when she can’t reach him (Patti confiscates his phone for violating curfew).
Although it’s technically his second film, Breeder is a solid intro into the horror community for Goyette. He directs with confidence throughout. The screenplay could use a little work. He makes bold choices up until the third act when he opts for a conventional finale that feels out of step with everything that came before it. It’s too much of a cop-out. It doesn’t ruin the film; it just weakens the structure a bit.
Breeder is a star-making performance for Dot-Marie Jones. She’s been in plenty of stuff, but this is the one that’s going to make her a recognized name. The former arm-wrestling champ cuts an imposing, intimidating figure as Patti, a disturbed woman who can be motherly and malevolent in the same moment. What she makes Russell do when things don’t go quite as planned is f***ed up. In that role, Doheny projects the right balance of fear and confusion. It’s believable when his survival instinct finally kicks in. Beatty is okay as Haley, an aloof sort who never shows much in the way of emotion. I couldn’t get too good a read on the girl except to say Russell could do better.
Anybody looking for a bloodbath will be disappointed. Breeder isn’t about blood and gore. It has one cool kill scene and that’s it. Goyette makes up for the lack of crimson flow with a creepy, unsettling vibe that permeates the entire movie. It’s not so much about “BOO!” scenes as it getting under the collective skin of the audience. It does that very well. I felt unnerved at times. Oh and Patti isn’t the only scary one under that roof. Wait until you get a load of her daughter Yara (Roche, How to Lose a Popularity Contest). She looks positively evil. She acts it too.
I enjoyed Breeder. It’s a decent scary movie. It’s best watched late at night in a theater filled with horror fans. It’s ideal for Halloween. BTW, no dogs are harmed or killed in Breeder. It’s safe for animal lovers.
