The Voices of Our Mother

Director - Mark O'Brien (Ready or Not, Hannibal)

Starring - Sheila McCarthy (The Umbrella Academy, Star Trek: Discovery), Georgina Reilly (Pontypool, Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal), and Mark O'Brien

Release Date - 2026

Genre - Horror

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I have a soft spot for religious horror.  Organized religion scares the absolute shit out of me and some religious horror movies have been truly effective over the years.  It's not my favorite sub-genre but I do check out the films from time to time.  Some time ago I received the press release for the Shudder original film The Voices of Our Mother from director and actor Mark O'Brien.  I really liked the artwork but the title and synopsis didn't really interest me.  This changed when I watched the trailer which is something I rarely do just in case I want to watch the movie later.  Many of you know how I feel about trailers and their potential to spoil the film but this time it did peak my interest.  I was going to reply to the email in order to request a review link when I realized that they had already sent one.  I went ahead and added that to my review list to check out when I could.

     The film follows four estranged siblings who visit their mom after a horrible accident.  Their mother recently lost her mother, whom she was very close with, before suffering what looks like a stroke.  They meet to see if she is passing away or if she will pull through.  They are unable to agree on what to do with her while she recovers and this causes tension between the four siblings.  As they discuss their mother's future, which could be shorter than expected, they learn that she is healing at an accelerated rate.  Her erratic behavior and a conversation from her long-time priest convince them that she may be possessed by something sinister.  This further divide the siblings forcing them to become hostile toward one another.

     I went into The Voices of Our Mother knowing a little bit about the plot due to the trailer but that was all the knowledge of the film that I had.  The synopsis that I was sent does not do the film justice.  The movie has a lot of moving parts but they don't necessarily come together that well.  The acting in this one the highlight of the film.  Director and star Mark O'Brien was great as the demanding brother that doesn't care to crack a few eggs so to speak while Georgina Reilly is phenomenal as the down to Earth sister wanting to make everyone happy.  With that being said, Sheila McCarthy steals the show.  Her performance is absolutely brilliant.  It's unbelievable how she was able to switch up her character so often.  She truly deserves recognition for her role here.  The story for this one does not feel like a religious horror flick.  We have a family drama with a few horror-like moments but nothing that really sells the film to genre fans.  We have four siblings that hate each other, a mother who may be ill or may be possesses by something demonic, and doctors who have no idea what is going on.  While it does sound like something horror fans would be frantic over, the film itself is 90% siblings bickering with one another, 5% doctors or a priest talking about mom, and the rest is mom losing her fucking mind.  It's not really a horror film but some serious changing would make it feel more at home in the genre.  The movie is written to be a slow burn but doesn't really ever find the traction it needs.  Finally, the film is not that memorable in regards to the red stuff.  We have some blood, a gunshot wound that looks decent, and some make-up effects.  We don't really have death scenes that stand out or the gore that a lot of fans would love.  Overall, The Voices of Our Mother is a missed opportunity.  While the acting is great, the story is lacking.  Horror fans will not appreciate this one.  Skip it.