By Sarah Anne Stubbs

Danny and Michael Philippou, known for their debut hit Talk to Me, have returned with their sophomore feature, Bring Her Back. I was nervous that this would be more of the same thing, but I am thrilled to say I was wrong. Bring Her Back replaces the supernatural with a bit more grounding (not too much, though) and a lot more gore. I will try to keep this mostly spoiler-free, but if you’re trying to go into it without any knowledge of the events of the film, be warned. 

In Bring Her Back, “following the death of their father, a brother and sister are introduced to their new sibling by their foster mother, only to learn that she has a terrifying secret.”

I was concerned that, like with a lot of recent horror focusing on grief, we’d see another character “haunted” by some sort of supernatural manifestation of their trauma. Fortunately, my concerns were unfounded and the Philippous have outdone even themselves. Instead of just one character dealing with their own situation, we have all of the main characters dealing with loss in their own ways. Seeing how they interact with each other while handling their own grief feels different than how we’ve seen it portrayed in other films. This is not to say that there is nothing otherworldly happening in Bring Her Back; it’s just not in the most obvious depiction. 

The Philippous are no strangers to delivering movies filled with tension. However, whereas Talk to Me felt like it relied more on jump scare-type moments, Bring Her Back leans more into gore and disturbing imagery. There is a scene in this film (I won’t say which to avoid spoilers) that will forever haunt me. I’m normally not all that squeamish, but this film had me wriggling in my seat. Would I call this movie scary? No. Disturbing? Absolutely. 

Sally Hawkins, Jonah Wren Phillips, Billy Barratt & Sora Wong in ‘Bring Her Back’ (2025) A24

One of the things that makes Bring Her Back especially interesting was described perfectly by the filmmakers in the production notes, “the characters in these films are “not necessarily bad people to begin with, but the world is bad, and bad things have happened to them and they’ve internalized everything,” Danny [Philippou] says. “And so, with Laura, what was exciting was trying to write a character that you uncomfortably sympathize or identify with.” Having had a tumultuous relationship with my own mother (albeit she wasn’t at the same level as Laura), who has since passed, I was able to identify with these complex feelings and feel more of a connection to Laura than a lot of folks might. I spent a lot of the film really disliking her, and while I don’t think her actions throughout are justifiable, there came a certain point in the film when I did truly empathize with her. 

Speaking of Laura, while the entire cast is on point in their roles, Sally Hawkins is the true standout. We’ve seen her in more likable roles, but as Laura, she really shows her range. Sora Wong also shines in her feature-length debut. She was born with coloboma and microphthalmia, making her fully blind in her left eye, with very weak vision in the right. This lends more authenticity to her portrayal of Piper than an actor who is not visually impaired. Jonah Wren Phillips plays Oliver in Bring Her Back, a silent foster child whose eerie presence anchors much of the film’s unease. With no dialogue, Phillips leans into physical performance: blank stares, strange habits, and unsettling stillness, to create a character that’s equal parts incredibly sensitive yet menacing. Oliver isn’t just creepy for shock’s sake; he becomes a living symbol of the trauma haunting the household, embodying how grief distorts care, memory, and connection.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t briefly mention that there is also a bit of gastro horror in this film. It isn’t a major aspect, but as a fan, it was nice to see that it was a part of the film. In fact, several important scenes take place in the kitchen. I always love to see horror films utilizing the kitchen because it’s a room in the house where we typically feel safe to gather. Bring Her Back subverts this in a major way. 

In a year that is already full of great horror releases, horror fans are continuing to eat well with Bring Her Back. There is frequently discussion that, as fans, we want more original IP versus sequels, and this film delivers just that. 

Bring Her Back had it’s theatrical release in Australia on May 29th, followed by a US release on May 30th and a UK release on August 1.

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