10 Most Vile Villains From Recent Horror Movies

Everyone has their own way of dealing with the crippling grief of losing a loved one. In Danny and Michael Philippou's follow-up to 2022's outstanding Talk to Me, Laura's (Sally Hawkins) unique way of coping with the death of her daughter, Cathy, is by trying to bring her back from the dead. Let's just say, Laura is not without grim determination and commitment.

The grieving mother fixates on a grainy video recording showing a deeply disturbing ritual on how to resurrect someone. She's already kidnapped a child - the reported missing Connor Bird - and put him through unimaginable pain and suffering in preparation for him to be used as a demonic conduit to transfer Cathy's soul via her frozen cadaver into another recently-deceased body.

The unlucky person lined up to be the next Cathy is partially-sighted Piper, who Laura fosters, along with her older step-sibling, Andy. Laura's plan could've gone more swimmingly if it wasn't for that meddling Andy, but she adapts by playing divide and conquer between the pair. 

After punching a sleeping Piper in the face, Laura contrives to weaponise Andy's past - where he once hit Piper - by attempting to convince his stepsister that it was Andy who assaulted her. Unconvinced, Laura then goads a flustered Andy into punching a hole in the wall, leading him to storm out, leaving a terrified Piper with Laura. Andy's eventual murder at Laura's hands - when she drowns him in a puddle - is one of pure evil that's extremely gut-wrenching, as he always tried to protect his sweet little stepsister. 

Mrs. Brown from Paddington, Laura is most certainly not. Seriously, is there any role that the extraordinary Sally Hawkins cannot turn her hand to?