When the creatives and films up for gongs at the Oscars 2026 were announced back in January, Sally Hawkins should've become a three-time Academy Award nominee. I knew it was unlikely, of course, given that she hadn't been recognized at previous award events like the Golden Globes or the SAGs – but that doesn't mean the omission didn't sting.
Her performance in Danny and Michael Philippou's Bring Her Back is one that has stuck with me since I first saw the movie almost a year ago. She plays the villain, essentially, though it seems a little reductive to dub her as such – with the directors flipping the script on Hawkins' trademark dottiness and charm to chilling, devastating effect. The film itself follows Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), two step-siblings who are thrust into foster care following the sudden death of their father. When the social worker suggests separate placements, Billy insists he's got to stick with Piper, since she struggles to adjust to new places given her visual impairment. With that, they're sent to stay with Hawkins' Laura, who's already looking after another kid, mute Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), and is navigating the death of her young daughter Kathy, too.
Upon their arrival, Laura takes a shine to partially-sighted Piper but seems immediately irritated by Andy, delighting in his discomfort as she purposefully gets his name wrong, goes through his phone, and makes him believe he keeps wetting the bed. As the teen torment escalates, truths about Oliver come to light, and Laura's behavior becomes more and more unhinged, as Piper and Andy discover the nightmarish reason Laura has invited them into her home.
Scaring is caring
Now, I'm not here to pit actors against one another. I'm not afraid to argue, though, that the work Hawkins does in Bring Her Back is far more complex and interesting than that of Amy Madigan's in Zach Cregger's Weapons – and yet the latter is the one up for Best Supporting Actress. Aunt Gladys is pantomime-esque; overtly evil with a camp, knowing grin and a Golden Girls' look as she murders a bunch of townsfolk. She's endlessly fun to watch, but there's not much to unpack under all that smudged lipstick and red wig. Hawkins as Laura, however, repulses you and rips your heart out in equal measure.
It's hard to know how much of it was already on the page, but Hawkins has you genuinely believing that Laura enjoys charting the kids' heights on the doorframe of her cluttered kitchen and having drunken dance parties with them as they spill slurred secrets. There are good intentions buried deep here. Supported by a killer script from Danny Philippou and co-writer Bill Hinzman that deftly toes the chalk line (if you know, you know) of having us understand why Laura is doing what she's doing without having us root for her, Hawkins transforms what could've been a one-dimensional baddie into something more accessible, nuanced, and tragic. But still, crucially, evil.
There are similarities between Bring Her Back and Weapons' antagonists that make it even more challenging not to compare the two. In a bid to stay forever young, witchy Gladys has perfected a spell that allows her to steal the life forces of children. Her poor nephew Alex (Cary Christopher), who she's shacked up with, knows she's bad, but is too afraid to tell anyone due to her violent threats. In Bring Her Back, Laura's grief has led her to be introduced to a dark ritual that promises to resurrect Kathy by exploitative occultists online, so long as she can find a sacrificial vessel (Oliver) and a host (Piper). Like Alex, it doesn't take long for Andy to pick up on Laura's weird vibes, but he's similarly powerless.
Both are master manipulators but Laura, unlike Gladys, isn't actually in control – with Hawkins perfectly capturing the former's delusional desperation as her all-consuming heartbreak pulls the strings. Gladys wears warmth like a mask to trick those into trusting her, whereas twinkly-eyed Laura's genuine maternal instincts – towards the end of the film, you find out that Laura has been one of the agency's star carers for decades – have been warped beyond recognition. It's not often scary movies make me wince or force me to look away, but some of Hawkins' manic and unpredictable turns, which frequently occur in the same scenes, are so spine-tingling, I had to.
Maternal mania
"Every character has moments in their life, and in rehearsals, we'd like to play those moments out, even though they're never going to be seen. We were like, 'Let's act them out so there's some history.' Sally's like that, even with the house," Michael Philippou previously explained to Forbes, championing a level of commitment that would usually catch the attention of the Academy. "She said, 'Let me make it familiar to myself, dress it and be in it.' She would buy things and bring them in. It helped give it a lived-in experience, rather than feeling like a set. She was in the rabbit hole, which I loved. She is deep in every single aspect, which is incredible because we were in there too."
Madigan isn't the only actor nominated for their performance in a horror movie. Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku, stars of Ryan Coogler's vampire action flick Sinners, are all up for accolades, while Jacob Elordi is up for Best Actor following his portrayal of The Creature in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein.
As a hardcore horror fan, I'm painfully aware of how it has historically been shunned by the Oscars, so I'm chuffed to see the genre – and those who play within it – finally taken seriously. The likes of Toni Collette, Essie Davis, and Lupita Nyong'o weren't so lucky in previous years. Nevertheless, just like Laura with Kathy's death, I'm going to have a hard time moving on from Hawkins' shocking snub.
The Oscars 2026 will take place on Sunday, March 15. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to this year's best upcoming movies.
