Bring Her Back (2025)
Directed by: Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou
Premise: An orphaned brother and sister (Billy Barratt and Sora Wong) are taken in by a foster mother (Sally Hawkins). They discover something is wrong with one of the other foster children (Jonah Wren Phillips).
What Works: Bring Her Back takes a familiar horror premise and does something very interesting with it. Orphaned kids in a strange home is a familiar scenario in this genre but Bring Her Back presents characters who are complex and interesting. Andy and Piper are siblings who have lost their parents and come to live with a foster mother whose daughter passed away. Andy and Piper are played by Billy Barratt and Sora Wong who are credible siblings. Andy is on the cusp of adulthood and actor Billy Barratt and the filmmakers capture the frustration and angst of being caught between childhood and adulthood. Piper is visually disabled as is actress Sora Wong who proves a naturalistic actress. The standout performance of Bring Her Back is by Sally Hawkins as the foster mother. She’s outwardly cheerful but Hawkins’ character harbors a secret that is gradually revealed. The foster mother is a complicated, tragic, and eventually monstrous character. Also impressive is Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver, the other foster child who has something severely wrong with him. Oliver is a monster but the character also suggests pity. Bring Her Back is about family and grief and the extent people will go to hold onto their loved ones and negotiate with death. The feeling of grief is palpable throughout the movie. Grief is the source of horror and Bring Her Back is unique in this genre in the way it mines pathos and love for horror. It’s both emotionally and physically visceral and those qualities dovetail together as mental and spiritual identities collide with the limitations of the body. This is a fascinating film but one that is also upsetting and moving.
What Doesn’t: Bring Her Back comes from filmmakers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou who previously directed 2023’s Talk to Me. That picture was comparable to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead pictures especially in its energy and sense of humor. Viewers should go into Bring Her Back knowing that this is tonally and thematically a very different movie. It’s not traditionally scary. Bring Her Back is a heartbreaking kind of horror and it does that very well but it’s less of a crowd pleaser than the Philippou’s previous film.
Bottom Line: Bring Her Back is an outstanding horror film. It’s the kind of picture that expands the possibilities of the genre with its thoughtful premise, nuanced characters, and great performances.
Episode: #1051 (June 8, 2025)