Bring Her Back
R/Horror/Drama/104 Mins
Directed by: Danny & Michael Philippou
Written by: Danny Philippou & Bill Hinzman
Starring: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally Hawkins
Review:
I had three thoughts running through my brain while leaving the theater:
1. Bring Her Back is an incredible horror film.
2. Australian horror is KILLING it this year (just you wait for Together coming in July, check out my SXSW review after reading this.)
3. I feel empty inside…(complimentary)
Bring Her Back is the second film from Danny and Michael Philippou, the filmmakers behind 2022’s horror sleeper hit, Talk to Me, and they are back with another gruesome, stomach-churning horror show wrapped around an emotional, compelling sibling drama.
After witnessing the death of their father, step-siblings Andy and Piper are moved into a foster home owned by the nurturing yet grieving Laura and her mute foster son Oliver. What initially seemed as a safe environment is quickly proven wrong as Laura may have some ulterior motives for her new guests. This may include an demonic occult ritual initiated by Laura with the goal of bringing back her recently deceased daughter. Yes, it’s as f**ked up as you think it is…
I don’t think since Hereditary I’ve watched a film that is so unbelievably bleak. This won’t be someone’s comfort movie. It is a HEAVY watch. However, I did appreciate that there is still room for some positive emotions. Mostly when it comes to the dynamic between Andy and Piper and very briefly, Laura. I heard in an interview with the filmmakers that when making their films, they are heavily influenced by Korean cinema. Similar to their previous film, Talk to Me, this film is able to bleed the comedy, drama and horror genres together sometimes in the same scene which is evident in films like: Old Boy, The Host and Parasite.
The entire cast is phenomenal. Sally Hawkins as Laura gives such a powerful and unpredictable performance. A woman so consumed by her grief slowly becomes dreadful and cruel. Laura does unspeakable things in this film yet Hawkins plays this character with such vulnerability, you somehow find the slightest bit of sympathy for this person who lost their heart.
Newcomers Billy Barratt, Sora Wong and Jonah Wren Phillips are such a talented group of young actors, each of them made an enormous impact on the film. The step-sibling relationship between Andy and Piper is the strongest aspect of the film. They are so emotionally tethered you feel the love and genuineness between these siblings. Can’t even say “grapefruit” without getting misty eyed. Jonah Wren Phillips as “Oliver” gives a performance that is so brave, bold and daring and the fact that he’s only 10-11 makes it all the more impressive and also extremely disturbing. He’s Linda Blair in the Exorcist type of scary kid in a horror film. Which leads me to the film’s impressive and very realistic looking practical effects.
A knife slicing through teeth, chewing the side of a table until it cuts and splinters the mouth, or ripping the skin off the back of your hand/arm. Be sure to thank prosthetics FX designer Larry Van Duynhoven for your nausea and nightmares. This might be the one aspect that may be too intense for the average moviegoer but it’s not disturbing just for shock value. It makes sense with the plot and it makes the horror even more effective and nerve-shredding.
Regarding the paranormal ritual/demonic happenings that take place, this film doesn’t take too much time explaining everything. I can understand how this may frustrate some people but for myself, I’m glad we didn’t know more. If it was spoon fed to you, I think it would have been less terrifying and interesting.
Talk to Me and Bring Her Back cement the brothers as masters of horror that are able to tell stories with deeply human themes/characters. This is no “sophomore slump”, they took what they learned from Talk to Me and took all of its strengths and elevated it to make a film that is just as great, if not better, than their directorial debut. This film will devastate you, maybe shed a tear or two and probably ruin your day but Bring Her Back is the feel bad movie of the summer. By no means is this a negative thing. It’s a gift when a film can be so expertly crafted it’s able to bring so much emotion out of a viewer, good or bad.
Score: 10/10
Bring Her Back is in cinemas everywhere now.
Buy tickets HERE!
