by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
A brother and sister become embroiled in a terrifying occult ritual at the hands of their duplicitous new foster mother in Bring Her Back.
After discovering their father dead in the shower, Andy and his blind step-sister Piper are placed in the foster care system. Andy is only seventeen, so he can’t assume responsibility for his sister and himself for another year. In the meantime, they are sent to live with a woman named Laura. Laura is a former counselor who recently lost her daughter to a drowning in her backyard pool. Laura is already taking care of a strange mute child named Oliver, but she makes room for Andy and Piper. Laura appears to be favoring Piper because she reminds her of her daughter, but soon it becomes apparent that there is a much more insidious reason behind her actions. Andy realizes that he must protect Piper, but is it too late?
Bring Her Back is written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman. The movie stars Billy Barratt as Andy, Sora Wong as Piper, Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver, and Sally Hawkins as Laura. The film is the sophomore directorial effort by Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, known through social media as the RackaRacka.
Danny and Michael took the horror world by storm when they released their debut feature-length film, Talk To Me, in 2022. The movie was chilling and effective, leaving an imprint on everyone who saw it. But the question was whether they were a one-trick pony or would they be able to do it again? Initially, the brothers were slated to direct the Street Fighter movie, but plans fell through, allowing them to focus on a story that Danny had written, and Bring Her Back was born.
The Philippou brothers seem to be comfortable in making their audiences uncomfortable. The choice of Wong as the lead was smart because she is blind in real life. However, instead of downplaying Wong’s condition as most blind people do by wearing glasses or sunglasses, Wong has no eyewear, and her eyes move in a way that most people are not used to seeing. It takes some time to get adjusted to her, and that is what they want. By the time you are ok with her, she is not ok in the film, and that makes the things that happen to her so much more impactful.
Three performances are the most impactful in this film. Veteran actor Sally Jenkins is supremely creepy and intensely horrifying as Laura, a grieving mother who is desperate to perform a perverse occult ritual upon Wong’s character, Piper. She takes psycho-biddy to a new level. First-time actor Wong is very special as the central figure in the film. But neither one of them is as downright scary as Jonah Wren Phillips, a boy with some very serious issues.
The question has an answer. Bring Her Back is not as intense as Talk To Me. The story is not as rich and complex either. But this film is very good. At one point, the movie feels like an intense drama, and then the horror aspects begin. Once they get started, they punch, bite, and kick the audience almost into submission.
Rated R for strong, disturbing, bloody, violent content, some grisly images, graphic nudity, underage drinking, and language, Bring Her Back is a genuinely creepy movie. It doesn’t leave you as affected as their debut, but it will touch you. Thankfully, this one can be let go of more easily. The only question now is, “Are we ready for more?” Yes. We are.
Bring Her Back can be seen in theaters starting May 30, 2025.
Grade: B