Genre – Horror
Directors – Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Writers – Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman
Cast – Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, Mischa Heywood
Runtime –99 Minutes
My Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Bring Her Back feels like being locked in a haunted daycare with a cult leader who bakes cookies shaped like trauma.
The Philippou brothers, who gave us Talk to Me, are back, and I managed to catch Bring Her Back at a scream unseen viewing, so is it worth watching?
Plot Summary of Bring Her Back (Spoiler-Free)
The story kicks off with two siblings, Andy and Piper, whose dad has just died. Piper is visually impaired, and Andy has a bit of a checkered past (read: he’s a teenager with rage issues). They get placed with Laura, a woman who lives alone in the woods with a house full of weird vibes and even weirder taxidermy. She’s played by Sally Hawkins, who greets them with the kind of strained cheeriness that suggests she’s either incredibly lonely or one bad day away from skinning a rabbit in front of them “for dinner.”
Laura also has another foster kid, Oliver, who doesn’t talk, seems perpetually starving, and casually gnaws on inedible objects like he’s been raised by kitchen appliances. The house is creepy, the woods are creepier, and there’s a dead daughter somewhere in Laura’s backstory that starts to cast a long, weird shadow over everything.
From there, things unravel. There’s a mystery involving VHS tapes, cult rituals, and chalk circles that suggest maybe these kids aren’t just here for healing. Andy becomes more and more suspicious of Laura, while Piper starts to connect with her. The tension builds, the secrets leak out, and soon you’re wondering not if things will go horribly wrong, but how and how fast.
Bring Her Back Review: Is It Worth Watching?
Absolutely. But not in a casual, popcorn-movie kind of way. Bring Her Back isn’t the type of film you toss on for background noise while folding laundry. It demands your full attention and your emotional bandwidth. I’d give it a solid 8/10, but that’s not because it’s perfect. It’s because it’s the kind of film that leaves a bruise.
It starts slow. Painfully slow. But deliberately so. The first 30 minutes lull you into thinking maybe this will be a standard “grief horror” story with some culty seasoning. But then Sally Hawkins starts twitching in just the right ways, the sound design begins to drill into your ears, and Oliver eats something that should never be eaten, and you suddenly realize you’re in deep, deep trouble.
The film thrives in its discomfort. The Philippou brothers are smart enough to know that you don’t need a monster behind every door when your characters are already carrying enough baggage to sink a cruise ship. Hawkins turns Laura into a deeply sympathetic yet terrifying figure. She’s not a villain in the traditional sense, but rather someone who’s cracked under grief and glued herself back together with ritual magic and motherly delusion.
Andy, played brilliantly by Billy Barratt, anchors the movie with a raw performance that balances rage and fear in equal measure. He’s clearly trying to protect Piper, who’s played with genuine innocence by Sora Wong, but the movie makes it increasingly difficult for him to do so. Laura keeps driving a wedge between them, and you’re stuck watching it happen, helpless and angry.
The horror doesn’t come from ghosts or demons or even the cult per se. It’s in the manipulation. It’s in watching kids be emotionally cornered by someone who believes she’s doing the right thing. And then, when things do get bloody, it’s just the natural endpoint of all that slow, creeping dread.
There are flaws, of course. The last 20 minutes feel like they belong to a different film entirely. The Philippous stack one twist on top of another, and not all of them land. There’s also a tendency to rely a bit too much on close-ups, as if shoving the camera into someone’s eyeball is the only way to show intensity. But honestly, these are minor gripes compared to the overall emotional wallop the film delivers.
It’s not easy to recommend, because watching it is a bit like dragging yourself through broken glass to get to a hug that might or might not be waiting at the end. But for horror fans who like their scares marinated in grief, this is a must-watch.
What I liked (And What I Didn’t Like)
Pros
Sally Hawkins’ Performance
Hawkins weaponizes her “nice lady” energy into something unhinged and heartbreaking. She’s terrifying because she’s believable. You never once think she’s evil. You think she’s broken, and that makes everything scarier.
Realistic Sibling Bond
Andy and Piper feel like real siblings. There’s tenderness, annoyance, loyalty, and exhaustion. It grounds the story in something emotionally real.
Psychological Horror Over Cheap Thrills
No jump scare overload here. The terror builds slowly through manipulation, gaslighting, and emotional erosion. It’s more unsettling than outright scary, but it works.
Unique Sound Design
The sound is deliberately irritating in parts. Mouth sounds, VHS crackle, chalk on tile – it’s all designed to get under your skin. And it does.
Creative Use of Visual Perspective
When we see the world through Piper’s eyes, the blur and distortion are both beautiful and disorienting. It puts you in her shoes without needing to explain anything.
It Treats Trauma Seriously
The movie never uses grief as a gimmick. It’s the core of the story. Laura’s plan, however twisted, makes sense through that lens, and that makes it far more compelling than most “trauma horror”.
Cons
The Pacing
Yes, it’s intentional, but the first act crawls. Some viewers might check out before things get good, which is a shame.
Overly Ambiguous Ritual Stuff
There are hints at rules (chalk circles, cult rituals), but the film never commits to explaining anything. That works for mood, but not always for clarity.
Oliver Needed More Context
He’s fascinating, but the film never really explains why he’s the way he is. Is he possessed? Traumatized? Raised by wolves? I needed more.
The Twist Overload in the Final Act
There’s a fine line between shocking and exhausting. The final 20 minutes start stacking reveals and dramatic turns like it’s a soap opera with a body count.
Emotional Payoff Is Slightly Undercooked
By the time the final scene hits, you want to feel catharsis. You might get it, but it’s more of a whimper than a scream.
Who Might Like Bring Her Back
- Fans of slow-burn horror that focuses more on mood and emotion than monsters.
- People who liked Hereditary, The Babadook, or The Witch.
- Viewers who enjoy movies that don’t spoon-feed the plot.
- Horror fans who appreciate strong performances and deeply flawed characters.
- Anyone who enjoys cult horror with psychological edges.
Who Might Dislike Bring Her Back
- Viewers who want fast-paced, gore-heavy horror.
- People who hate movies that end without clear resolutions.
- Anyone who finds slow-burn storytelling boring or frustrating.
- Folks who are sensitive to themes of child trauma and emotional manipulation.
- Those looking for a traditional good-vs-evil horror story.
Final Verdict: Did I Enjoy Watching Bring Her Back?
Yes. And no. And yes again. Bring Her Back is one of those films that doesn’t care if you like it. It just wants to crawl inside your head and set up camp. It’s flawed, yes, but it’s also powerful, original, and full of moments that linger way too long in your brain.
It’s not fun, but it is good. If you’re a horror fan looking for something different, something that feels like grief made flesh, then you need to see this. Just don’t expect to feel great afterward.
I’m sticking with my 8/10 rating. It’s not perfect, but it’s bold, weird, and it’ll probably haunt me longer than most “better” horror films. And in a genre that spits out forgettable jump-scare-fests like clockwork, that’s saying something.
So yes, I recommend it. Just maybe don’t watch it alone. Or right before bed. Or after a funeral. Or with anyone who says “I love the movie Orphan” unironically.
Bring Her Back Trailer
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