Last weekend, I settled into a theater for Bring Her Back, the new horror flick from Danny and Michael Philippou, the Aussie brothers behind 2023’s Talk to Me. As a horror junkie who loved the wild, punk energy of their debut, I was pumped to see what they’d cook up next. Starring Sally Hawkins as a unhinged foster mom and a trio of young actors—Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, and Jonah Wren Phillips—this A24 chiller promised to dive deep into grief and terror. And wow, it delivers on the disturbing vibes, with moments that left me squirming and a theater so quiet you could hear a pin drop. But as much as I was rattled, I left feeling like the film’s messy storytelling held it back from true greatness. Here’s my take.
The Good: Sally Hawkins Is Terrifying, and the Kids Steal Your Heart
Right off the bat, Bring Her Back grabs you by the throat. The film opens with step-siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), who’s visually impaired, finding their dad dead in the shower—a brutal, grounded moment that sets the tone. They’re shipped off to foster care and land with Laura (Sally Hawkins), a quirky ex-counselor who’s all smiles but gives off serious red flags. She’s got another foster kid, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), a mute boy who’s equal parts creepy and heartbreaking, lurking around with a shaved head and a stare that could burn holes.
Sally Hawkins is unreal here. I know her from sweet roles in Paddington and The Shape of Water, so seeing her play Laura—a foster mom whose warmth masks something sinister—was jarring in the best way. She flips from bubbly to menacing on a dime, and her performance carries the film. There’s a scene where she’s chugging liquor with the kids, and it’s both funny and deeply unsettling, like watching a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The young cast is just as impressive. Billy Barratt’s Andy is the heart of the movie, a protective big brother who’s falling apart but keeps fighting for Piper. His raw emotion—especially when Laura’s gaslighting starts messing with his head—had me rooting for him. Sora Wong, making her feature debut as Piper, is a revelation. She’s legally blind in real life, and her performance feels so authentic, bringing a quiet strength to Piper’s struggle for independence. Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver is straight-up nightmare fuel. There’s a moment with him and a knife that had me covering my eyes—it’s that gnarly. The Philippous clearly know how to direct young actors, pulling out performances that feel real and raw.
The horror itself? Oh man, it’s intense. This isn’t jump-scare city; it’s a slow burn that builds dread like a pressure cooker. The Philippous lean hard into practical effects, and the gore is stomach-churning—think oozing wounds and body horror that rivals The Exorcist. One scene with Oliver in the backyard pool made me physically recoil, and the grainy VHS tapes of a satanic ritual Laura keeps watching are pure nightmare material. The sound design, with its buzzing and rumbling, amps up the unease, and the visuals—like circles symbolizing dark magic—stick with you. I saw a post on X that said the theater sat in silence for five minutes after, and I totally get it. This movie leaves you shook.
The Not-So-Good: A Story That’s Too Murky for Its Own Good
Here’s where I got frustrated. Bring Her Back is ambitious, tackling grief, abuse, and the foster system, but it’s a bit of a mess narratively. The plot follows Andy and Piper as they unravel Laura’s terrifying plan—hinted at by the title and her obsession with her dead daughter, Cathy. But the film keeps so much vague for so long that it feels like you’re stumbling through fog. Those creepy VHS tapes? They’re horrifying but never explained—where did Laura get them? What’s the deal with the cult? The Philippous seem to want ambiguity, but it left me wanting more clarity, like Talk to Me gave us.
The pacing doesn’t help. The first half is a slow, methodical build, which I was into for the character work, but it drags in places. Then the final act explodes into a chaotic storm of blood, broken glass, and revelations that come too fast to process. It’s exhilarating but rushed, like they crammed a two-hour movie into 104 minutes. Some twists—like what’s really going on with Andy’s bedwetting—land hard, but others feel tacked on, like the filmmakers threw in extra horror tropes just to keep us guessing.
I also had mixed feelings about the grief angle. The film’s about how loss can drive people to dark places—Laura’s desperation to “bring her back” is the core of it—but it doesn’t dig as deep as it could. Compared to Hereditary or even Talk to Me, which made grief feel visceral and personal, this felt more like a plot device. Piper and Andy’s bond is the emotional spine, but Piper’s character gets sidelined in the second half, which weakened the impact.
Why It Hit Me Hard
As someone who’s no stranger to loss, the film’s opening hit like a punch. The way Andy and Piper deal with their dad’s death—Andy freezing up, Piper jumping to CPR—felt so real, capturing that raw, helpless shock. The foster care angle added another layer; Laura’s manipulation of these vulnerable kids made my skin crawl, especially knowing real-world foster systems can fail kids. The film’s not subtle about its themes—grief, abuse, the lengths a parent will go—but it’s effective when it leans into the human side, like Andy’s quiet moments of despair or Piper’s stubborn push for independence.
I also appreciated the representation. Sora Wong’s casting as Piper, a visually impaired character played by a visually impaired actress, adds authenticity, and her disability isn’t just a plot gimmick—it shapes how she navigates Laura’s lies. The Philippous use her perspective cleverly, like when she’s hit in the face and can’t see who did it, ramping up the tension.
Final Thoughts: A Brutal, Flawed Horror Gem
Bring Her Back is not for the faint of heart. It’s a relentless, visceral horror movie that dives into dark places—grief, abuse, and some seriously messed-up rituals—and doesn’t let you look away. Sally Hawkins delivers a performance that’s both chilling and heartbreaking, and the young cast holds their own against her. The gore and atmosphere are top-notch, making this a must-see for hardcore horror fans who don’t mind squirming. X posts called it “gnarly,” “devastating,” and “the feel-bad horror movie of 2025,” and I’m right there with them.
But it’s not perfect. The story’s too murky, the pacing’s uneven, and it doesn’t quite earn the emotional payoff it’s going for. It’s a step up from Talk to Me in ambition and brutality, but it lacks the tight storytelling that made their debut so electric. Still, the Philippous prove they’re horror heavyweights, and I’m already stoked for whatever they do next.
If you’re a horror diehard like me, catch Bring Her Back in theaters—it’s out now, May 31, 2025. Just brace yourself and maybe bring a friend to hug afterward. I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars—a wild, unsettling ride that could’ve been tighter but still left me rattled.