BRING HER BACK (2025)

New in theaters from A24 Films!
Directed/Written by Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou.
Check out the trailer here!!

After the accidental death of their father, Andy (Billy Barratt) and his blind sister Piper (Sora Wong) are sent to live in a foster home run by former social worker Laura (THE SHAPE OF WATER’s Sally Hawkins). Laura already has one foster child, a strange, mute boy named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). Andy and Piper bond with Laura soon after their father’s funeral when they find out that Laura recently lost her birth daughter Cathy (Mischa Heywood). While at first, the kids settle into the home of their eccentric caregiver, Andy and Piper soon begin to suspect something more sinister is going on. And unbeknownst to them, Laura is planning a dark ritual involving her dead daughter and the three foster kids in her care.

While TALK TO ME was a potent little horror movie, I felt it was a little too similar to other cursed horror films released in the last decade or three such as THE RING, THE GRUDGE, and more recently IT FOLLOWS, and the SMILE franchise. BRING HER BACK does share some key elements with TALK TO ME, mainly when a ritual is performed so that a grieving person can once again have contact with a lost loved one. But BRING HER BACK is a far superior film compared to TALK TO ME, showing that the writing/directing team of Danny and Michael Philippou are a true force to be reckoned with in horror. BRING HER BACK is emotionally heart-wrenching, viscerally gruesome, and downright terrifying all at once.

The emotional core of BRING HER BACK is much more potent here as the weight of grief is shared by all three main characters, allowing grief to show up in multiple ways from different perspectives. Andy, Piper, and Laura are all grieving in one way or another and dealing with grief in vastly different ways. There is a large part of BRING HER BACK that serves as a drama, diving deep into the darkness one feels after losing a loved one, apart from all of the horror that results from the meeting of these three damaged people. It is a strong dissection of grief and at first, when Andy and Piper arrive at Laura’s house, there are some downright sweet moments as three broken souls attempt to mend together.

It is because this emotional core is so well developed that when the horror appears, it feels more dangerous than ever. It’s not like there is nothing supernatural going on during this get-to-know-you time we spend with Laura, Andy, and Piper. Right at the start, when we are introduced to Oliver, we know something is off. Waaay off. The kid is creepy as all get out and by far is going to be the take away character of the movie that will get under your skin the most. Little Jonah Wren Phillips does a creepy good job of being off-kilter to be kind, a waking nightmare to be more accurate. The psychological weight and physical lengths this little actor goes in BRING HER BACK is something that is truly iconic and makes this film the terrifying fright-fest it really is. Phillips steals the show from his blank stare to the gut-wrenching table-gnawing scene. This is a performance that will make your skin crawl and fill your head with new, horrifying nightmares.

Because BRING HER BACK is so beautifully raw with its emotions that sets it apart from the regular horror herd. There are some truly shocking moments that I should have been able to call out, but I was too enrapt in the lives of these characters and their safety to notice the horrors coming from all angles, endangering Andy and Piper. I don’t think I’ve seen Billy Barratt (who plays Andy) before, but he has a likable, kid-next-door quality that feels earnest. Sora Wong is another fresh face who plays Piper and gives her character strength and wit, making you forget that she is blind. But the pair of actors shine the brightest when they are together. Their brother and sister relationship feels comfortable and effortless, like they really have experienced all of this turmoil and only have each other to cling to. Because the love these two siblings share is so strong and pure, the threat is multiplied exponentially. By the end, I was on my seat’s edge, hoping these two will make it out ok.

The real surprise is the terrifying performance Sally Hawkins brings to Laura. She does some truly diabolical things in BRING HER BACK but still manages to inject humanity into the performance. And as misguided as she is, you can understand why she does what she does. That meek little cleaning lady from THE SHAPE OF WATER is no more. What Hawkins brings to BRING HER BACK is a powerful, star-making performance.

What I really loved about BRING HER BACK, was that the story of every character mixes so well together and comes to an end that is heart-wrenching, exciting, and abhorrent all at once. This film goes to some ugly places, and you won’t believe some of the violence that plays out. While the supernatural is just below the surface, it is ever present but shown in a very tactile manner that burrows deep in the psyche and soul. Each character has a journey, a challenge, and an end that feels crucial to the story. I truly didn’t know how the fates of these characters were going to play out. This was one of those perfect stories where everyone has a unique end, culminating in an operatic ending that left me in awe.

Anyone who thinks the horror genre has lost its edge should look no further than the work of the Philippou brothers. BRING HER BACK is personal horror that can only be categorized as bleak. Due to the emotional resonance and sheer nightmarish moments, BRING HER BACK is this year’s HEREDITARY. It surely is peppered with the supernatural, but it is the personal moments and extreme relationships between the cast that drives the story deep, like a knife straight through the soul.

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Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
(I do not own this music)