Film Review: Bring Her Back

Bring Her Back
Directors: Danny and Michael Philippou
A24, Causeway Films, Salmira Productions
In Theaters: 05.30.2025

Would you believe me if I told you that this year’s biggest emotional on screen gut-punch would be delivered in the form of a relentlessly gruesome and hellish possession film from the minds behind the cursed RackaRacka YouTube channel? Yeah, you know what? I might believe it too, especially after Danny and Michael Philippou’s feature horror debut, Talk to Me. 

Bring Her Back follows two foster siblings, Andy (Billy Barratt, Kraven the Hunter) and Piper (Sora Wong in her very first role), as they move in with their “strange and unusual” new foster mother Laura (Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water) and her other, mute, foster son Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips, Sweet Tooth). While the two try to acclimate to their new family and wait out the months until Andy turns 18, when he can obtain legal guardianship of Piper, they come to learn Laura and Oliver have other fucked up plans for them during their stay. Which may or may not include kissing dead dads, frequent teenage bed-wetting, Dark Web Russian occult tapes, underage drinking with said foster mother and, ya know… ritualistic demonic possession. Have the Philippou brothers checked all your boxes yet?

Bring Her Back is what can only be described as a knockout exercise of exploring traumatic grief and anguish through the lens of the horror genre in a way that feels new and visceral. Screenwriters Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman (Talk to Me) are a match made in hell when it comes to conveying these themes in their writing; they approach these topics in such a way that is very much their own. Their growth in maturity and sincerity since the release of Talk to Me is also very apparent with this new film. It’s beyond impressive to say the least. It’s especially impressive due to how well the end product sticks its landing when it could’ve gone in so many different directions — something most “almost good” horror movies fail to do in this day and age. The Philippous have mentioned in multiple interviews that the ending of the film was rewritten after their close friend Harley Wallace passed, and to say you can feel their grief toward the end of the film’s 104-minute run time would be an understatement. It oozes off the screen and congeals onto audience members to stick with them during their “What the fuck was that?” conversation on the car ride home.

The direction from the Philippou brothers has also strengthened since the release of Talk to Me, specifically with the performance they received from Hawkins as their Laura. From the second Hawkins appears on screen to the very last, she grotesquely captivates you and holds your gaze until she’s off screen. You can see through her caring foster mother act (and she wants you to). Once you understand her true motives, Hawkins’ performance makes it impossible for you to hate Laura and the reasons for her actions in the film. She delivers Oscar-worthy gaslighting (if the Oscars ever took horror seriously) and I can say with certainty that the film would not be as impactful without it. 

Even if you’re a squirmy baby and hate horror movies, go see Bring Her Back just to experience the dramatic, emotional rollercoaster that lies underneath all its gruesome and gory practical effects. It’s a story you can’t miss. Don’t worry, your next therapy session is on me! —Yonni Uribe 

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