'Bring Her Back' Flyer-Instagram Reel

This is a motion graphics piece created as a tribute to the horror film Bring Her Back. Designed as a square motion poster for Instagram and a vertical version for flyers, it also includes static illustrations derived from the animated work.

I began by organizing and referencing various inspirations using PureRef, then edited and prepared base images in Photoshop by using the Threshold effect. The entire composition—featuring two human figures, a hand, and a hypnotic spiral environment—was illustrated vectorially in Adobe Illustrator.

Animation was done entirely in After Effects. I gave the human figures a subtle "floating" motion using a parented null object that controlled their position. The spiral background, composed of multiple concentric circular layers, was animated using a JavaScript time expression, with each circle rotating at a progressively slower speed as they moved outward from the center, creating a vortex-like effect.

To enhance the trance-like narrative (as the film revolves around possession), I animated the character’s eyes to appear hypnotized. I also applied several visual effects, including noise, VR chromatic aberration (applied both globally and individually to each circular layer), wave distortion, and a vignette. I experimented with Venetian Blinds to simulate a CRT screen and explored CC Balls for a halftone look, but ultimately decided to remove them as they conflicted with the aesthetic.

The film's title, BRING HER BACK, was treated as a dynamic typographic element. Each word followed a circular motion path, rotating infinitely to match the hypnotic spiral. At the end of each word's cycle, all letters converged into a single point before the next word appeared, reinforcing the looping, entrancing rhythm of the piece.

I also created a "possessed" version of the central child character—his final form in the film—illustrated in Illustrator and later glitched through the snorpey JPG Glitch Tool. These corrupted images were edited into the final piece using Adobe Premiere, timed to appear at the end of each word cycle in sync with glitch sound effects and layered with an eerie NASA-recorded black hole sound for the spiraling background.

This project merges illustration, animation, and sound to convey the film’s core themes of possession, transformation, and psychological horror.

Sounds used:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL25kplyilM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a5UMZ4kihM