Bring Her Back (2025)★ 7.4/10

Has some difficult-to-watch scenes. It's a horror, after all, and it's meant to make your blood run cold. But what sets this movie apart is its premise. I've never seen a horror movie with this premise done this way before; it felt unique and fresh, which is high praise for a genre that struggles to find new differentiators. It left me wanting more, but at the same time I was happy when it was over so I could exit the nightmare. Cool stuff.

good

me: “the philippou brothers can’t make anything more depressing and uncomfortable than talk to me”
philippou brothers: *maniacally laughs*

I been looking for it

The film’s strengths lie in its striking visuals and committed performances, though the script lacks depth. A key subplot was reportedly cut—likely for tonal consistency—but its absence makes the narrative feel thinner. Had it been intact, the film could have added the much-needed complexity, particularly in making Laura’s final choice feel less abrupt.

As the sophomore feature from the Philippou brothers, "Bring Her Back" shows a marked evolution from 2022’s "Talk to Me." There are no cheap jump scares—just escalating psychological tension that tightens with every scene. The directors stay true to their visceral "pain aesthetic," using raw depictions of bodily trauma to push the viewer’s emotional limits.

A horror film that carries grief at its heart and still being gruesome and unsettling throughout its narrative ?
GODDAMN I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.
It might have a linear narrative but this has you captivated throughout
Some of the camera works had my attention
Its quite detailed and thats beautiful
Sally hawkins is brilliant and i would really like for her to be nominated for this performance
It’s been quite some time i have felt this uneasy through a horror film
The director duo hereafter have my attention🙌

The plot is admittedly too simplistic. The subplot involving Andy and his father had real potential but is skimmed over, reducing the brother character to a mere plot device in the final act. Still, the lead performance is so nuanced that with a lesser actor, the film would have completely fallen apart.

Easily one of the most polished A24-style horror films in recent memory, this outshines the director’s previous work, "Talk to Me", with a more mature visual language and striking composition. Sally Hawkins is the reason the film works as well as it does — shedding her usual warmth, she delivers a raw, unnerving performance that anchors the horror in something deeply human.

This is one of the most effective bottle horrors I've ever seen. Limited cast, limited locations, just pure cinematic storytelling. The sound design should be getting so much more love than it is as well. Stellar performances all around.

This movie feels like if you took Talk To Me and Hereditary and mashed them together, but it also manages to feel totally unique. I have to say that I still prefer Talk To Me as a whole, but they are aiming at totally different things. Bring Her Back is bleak, horrifying, and has no desire to "entertain" at all. It's almost too effective to watch, so unsettling is what's happening on screen

If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you know I’m a big fan of A24, the production company involved in many “outside the box”, low budget, original movies. I have loved almost every single one. In 2023, they helped twin Youtubers Danny and Michael Phillippou A.K.A RackaRacka with their directorial debut and surprise horror hit TALK TO ME. It was my favorite horror movie that year. They are back with another horror movie called BRING HER BACK. It tells the story of two stepsiblings, the visually impaired Piper (Sora Wong) and her older brother Andy (Billy Barratt). After suddenly becoming orphans, they go to this foster mom Laura (Sally Hawkins), who is also grieving. She also has a mute son named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). Andy, being protective of Piper, senses that things seem to be off. I love this movie. It’s a slow burn that hooks you in, expertly building tension and anxiety along the way. It has familiar horror topics like grief and trauma, but it’s done in a unique way. As with TALK TO ME, the violence is disturbing and unforgettable, using amazing practical effects. A word of warning, it’s even more disturbing because it involves child abuse. Each performance here is amazing. All 4 of them! This was Sora Wong’s first gig. Even more impressive is that Sora herself is visually impaired. In some scenes, the movie puts you in her shoes, increasing the anxiety and making me want to jump in the screen and help her. Hawkins has to do a lot in this. She is happy, lighthearted, and terrifying. This movie has believable characters that you really care about. It’s about how grief can fundamentally change a person. The scariest scenes of the movie are the more grounded, realistic violence that occurs, unlike most horror movies. It doesn’t hold back, and it doesn't rely on cheap jump-scares. The movie gives you enough of the puzzle to piece it together. It could’ve explained some things a little more, but some people could have fun coming up with their own theories. It’s unsettling in the best way possible. Great horror movies like TALK TO ME and BRING HER BACK have a way of sticking with you beyond the movie theater. They are not your typical Hollywood horror and are incredibly effective. Nobody does unconventional as well as A24. Despite having a questionable plot choice near the end, I enjoyed this even more than TALK TO ME. I will always praise original projects. BRING HER BACK is a very dark movie with some traumatizing scenes that won’t be for the faint-hearted, but I love what the Phillippou brothers are doing, and I can’t wait for what they do next.

Demaciado fino