At the rate they are going, directors Danny and Michael Philippou seem likely to inflict some serious injury upon a toddler in the name of horror, yet it will somehow entertain. Bring Her Back is the follow-up film to the twin directors’ breakout indie horror film Talk To Me, and it finds these former YouTubers pushing themselves by going in a different direction. While they described their previous film as more of a “party horror movie,” Bring Her Back is decidedly more character-focused and intent on resting within a less expansive world, biding its time between gruesome moments, before launching an onslaught of pain by the end. Of course, having purpose means plenty, and while team RakaRaka doesn’t skimp on the extreme material, there’s a clear insistence on letting the impact of these matters truly affect the characters.
Set in South Australia, when step-siblings Piper (Sora Wong) and Andy (Billy Barratt) find their father has died, they are sent to live under foster care with former counselor Laura (Sally Hawkins). Piper is almost completely blind, and while her brother does his best to take care of her, including shielding her from much of the harshness of reality, Laura seems to have a particular interest. As days pass, tensions rise, and oddball behavior becomes more extreme, especially in the case of a young orphan who also lives with Laura, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). With hints of some sort of ritual, the siblings may or may not find out what Laura has planned the hard way.
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As stated, Bring Her Back is more introspective than Talk To Me, which combined its dark and malicious horror sensibilities with an exploratory dynamic formed by the youths involved. Each of these characters has gone through some type of trauma. In a different film, the solution would likely be more about them finding common ground with each other and sorting out the various forms of grief, among other emotions, they are contending with. However, this is a gnarly horror film, and talking it out is just not on the table.
One could use slow-burn as a way to describe the Philippous’ approach to this film. Still, even with a lack of moment-to-moment horror, this is a very ominous feature, with many instances designed to raise the hairs on the back of the audience’s collective necks. Various hints make it clear that something is up with Laura and the home she resides in. Hawkins, never one to back down from an intense assignment, brings the spirited energy that fueled the eternally optimistic Poppy in Happy-Go-Lucky and allows it to serve as a clear guise to win over Piper. Even before real developments start happening, we know the deliberate tone Laura takes, depending on whom she is dealing with.
Naturally, it’s all the more satisfying to see the work leading up to some goriffic sequences payoff in such immense ways. Having the patience this film does means already feeling the hurt taking place, even before certain reveals emerge. Whether it comes down to how a character handles a knife when left alone, or what lengths some will go to to ensure compliance, Bring Her Back knows how to maximize the impact of the horrors taking place.
Additionally, as referenced up top, one must keep in mind that the movie is placing a spotlight on children when it comes to witnessing violence. Most films keep child violence down to a minimum, generally for the sake of showing how high the stakes can get. Here, there’s no respite from those who are affected by the crazy actions taking place. Even the number of side characters is kept to a minimum, despite the hard R-rating that ensures extreme carnage will occur. Honestly, what is being witnessed did not feel too far from what the New French Extremity films offered.
Of course, part of the deal with those films was to utilize graphic depictions of violence as a transgressive means of explaining the state of the world to an extent. There are lengths some will go to resolve the love they have for another. Others will do all they can to protect their loved ones from a world so soaked in evil at times. If accomplishing this means pushing the limits of what one can do with the human body, the Phillipus are certainly doing a fine job of tapping into something personal, while still delivering the dark delights an audience can get from watching flesh be stripped from one’s own body.
Not hurting at all is how capable this cast is. Hawkins is a multiple Oscar nominee with plenty of ways to play her character, so it should be clear how great she is. Barratt is quite strong here as well, leaning into the understanding that while he’s a protective older brother, he knows he has limits as far as dealing with adults who think they know better. There’s an anger we see in Andy, and watching him struggle to control it amidst everything going on in Laura’s house raises the stakes.
For being so young, Phillips also gets a great chance to shine. Essentially acting as a mute, we get a full spectrum of what it is to be a mysterious little boy with increasing understanding of the role he must play in Laura’s plot. On top of that, some serious makeup work shows how committed Phillips had to have been to convey his struggles effectively. Speaking of, this is Wong’s first film, and it’s pretty notable for a young, mostly blind actress to step into the world of horror and truly find the emotions needed, despite the violent absurdity going on around her.
Not for the squeamish, Bring Her Back eschews a greater sense of fun in favor of an emotionally draining horror film that does not run short on horrific bodily harm and other deadly scenarios to see play out. The ambition remains clear regarding what the Philippou brothers are capable of, as the film still finds time to make nearly every camera choice interesting and flood the frame with various visual motifs. Whether or not they choose to be kinder to their characters the next time, I remain pleased that these two filmmakers and their crews plan to bring more inventive horror back my way.
Bring Her Back opens in theaters on May 30, 2025.
