In 2022, Danny and Michael Philippou shook the horror genre with their debut film, Talk to Me. This film gave the horror fans something new and unique while scaring the crap out of us. The theme of grief and loss gave the movie a deeper meaning and solidified the Philippou brothers as a force in the horror community. With their second movie, Bring Her Back, the brothers have cemented their place in horror and have dialed up the gore to the max!
Bring Her Back, while not a continuation, still has similar themes of loss and grief, but this time it centers around a brother and sister. Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) suffer a tragic loss and are put into the foster system. The brother and sister are looked after by Laura (Sally Hawkins), who is known in the system for helping many kids and is fostering a small boy named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). As the story progresses, we slowly start seeing that Laura has ulterior motives for having Piper in her home.
Early, we stated that Bring Her Back deals with loss, and in this case,e it is a loss of a child. As a parent, this is an unfathomable event to ever think of. We know that we will do anything we can to protect our children, but to lose them would be devastating. Not having your child around anymore can lead to parents going through all kinds of emotions that may lead them to do horrible things. In the case of Laura’s character, we get glimpses of what she would do in the way she treats Piper and Andy differently. Through images from old VHS tapes, we see that Laura is preparing something evil, and when it is revealed, it is horrifying.
One of the touching parts of Bring Her Back is the relationship between Andy and Piper. We can see that these two characters have had a rough life, but are always there for each other. The movie gives us some insight as to what happened to their mother, and we see how this has made them closer to each other. The two have a code word amongst them when they want the other to tell the truth. It’s beautiful to see this relationship, and it hurts to see how Laura is trying to put a wedge between the two.
Like they did in Talk to Me, the Philippou brothers fill the screen with images that will stay with us long after the movie is over. In the way they embedded the haunting visual of Riley (Joe Bird) smashing his head over and over, Bring Her Back takes those moments and increases the gore and uneasiness you feel while watching it. Multiple scenes will have you looking away from the screen, but the two that I can not get out of my head involve a knife and a table. Those scenes are not only messed up, but the sound in those scenes makes it even more horrifying to watch.
The sound design in Bring Her Back truly brings out the creepiness in the movie. From the crunching in one scene to the screams in another, the sound is a character all by itself. Danny and Michael Philippou have a way of bringing their surreal images to life, and along with the sound, there will be scenes that will stay with you long after the movie is done.
Final Thoughts: Bring Her Back is a messed-up look at loss that keeps you glued to your seat. Sally Hawkins is fantastic, nurturing, horrifying, and steals the scenes she is in. The Philippou Brothers have another hit on their hands and have cemented their spot in the horror genre. There are images in this movie that will stay with you long after you leave the theater.
Kid-Friendly: The relationship between Andy and Piper is great to see, but this movie is not recommended for children younger than sixteen.
Violence: The amount of violent images and gore in this movie will haunt you. Amongst those images, some triggering moments deal with suicide and domestic violence.
A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.