Scare Value Award Winner – Best Gore Effects
Bring Her Back review
The Philippou’s Talk to Me follow up is another strong effort in the inevitable doom playground they like so much.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Bring Her Back
Directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou
Written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman
Starring Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Mischa Heywood and Stephen Phillips
Bring Her Back Review
Danny and Michael Philippou burst onto the horror scene in the biggest way possible two years ago with the release of their debut feature film Talk to Me. Talk to Me was a borderline revelation. An instant classic that sat in the pole position of 2023’s Scare Value Award for Best Picture until an unstoppable monster from Japan stole its crown. The brothers are back in theaters with Bring Her Back…a movie no less dark and no less well made than Talk to Me. It also features one of the best horror performances this year from star Sally Hawkins. In fact, its only downfall is the inevitable comparison people will make to superior previous film.
Bring Her Back dives deeper into trauma horror than its predecessor. That makes it harder to “enjoy” in the traditional sense of the word than Talk to Me’s unique take on possession…even though that film is no less about trauma. Both movies look fantastic. Both feature excellent casts. Horror imagery and creeping, inevitable dread are in no short supply in either film. Although that sounds like a lot of similarities…Bring Her Back has a very different story at its core.
Piper (Sora Wong) and her stepbrother Andy (Billy Barratt) return home one day to find their father dead. Andy is three months shy of his 18th birthday…and can’t apply for guardianship of the younger Piper until then. Piper is visually impaired…and social services has the perfect foster parent for her…a former counselor who raised a child with similar needs, Laura (Sally Hawkins). Andy isn’t initially a part of the equation…but Laura agrees to take him in, so that they aren’t separated. It doesn’t take long for Andy to recognize that something about his new home isn’t quite right. Starting with their new foster brother Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips).
Without diving too deeply into what’s happening in Bring Her Back (though the title has likely pointed you in the right direction) it’s fair to say that this is an extremely dark movie. Children in peril, extremely effective gore usage, and heavy appropriation of grief and trauma horror. At its center stands Sally Hawkins. Hawkins, a two time Oscar nominee, arguably gives her career best performance here. Laura is a deeply disturbed character. Worse, she’s incredibly adept at hiding that fact from people. Hawkins is incredible in the role. She makes Laura’s most twisted moments as terrifying as they are strangely understandable.
Hawkins is surrounded by impressive performers in their own right. All three young actors do a great job making their dark and dangerous circumstances feel realistic. Ollie is mostly mute…but Jonah Wren Phillips crafts an unforgettable character. There are some harrowing moments involving Ollie that aren’t easy to watch. He’s both terrifying and sympathetic at the same time. Sora Wong, partially sighted as her character is, gives the film a worthwhile protagonist to stand against the growing madness. Laura uses Piper’s disability to gaslight her into believing her stepbrother is a danger to them. Andy has a big enough skeleton in his past to make it believable…not to mention the trauma he carries along with him. Billy Barratt plays Andy as a believably redeemed and caring person who will do anything to protect Piper from harm.
Bring Her Back doesn’t waste any time diving into these characters or their traumatic backstories. Ollie remains a mystery longer than the others…but it’s beyond clear that something horrific has, and is, going on with him. Laura’s plans unfold at a fine pace…ramping up both the feeling of doom and unveiling the full horror story in a way that makes Bring Her Back aconsistently engaging watch. The subject matter, however, keeps it from being labeled a “fun” one.
Bring Her Back is a true horror story built out of how its layered characters deal with their traumatic stories. It’s as dark as anything you’re going to see in theaters this year…especially with how it puts its most vulnerable characters in peril. There are squeamish moments involving Ollie that will be difficult to shake. In the middle of it all…Sally Hawkins delivers an award worthy performance. She’s a broken woman who seemingly has no limits to how far she will go to…well…you can see the title of the movie.
Scare Value
Danny and Michael Philippou are two for two in the original horror department. Bring Her Back is another dark chapter in their growing library of horror. With a sequel to Talk to Me on the docket…we can expect the focus on well-crafted, well-cast scary stories to continue. There’s a realism to Bring Her Back, even when it’s at its most supernatural, that makes it a harder watch than Talk to Me. It also makes it scarier. Albeit…in a different way.
4/5
Bring Her Back Link
In theaters May 30 – Fandango
