Bring Her Back
Filmmaking duo Michael and Danny Philippou deliver a harrowing horror successor.
Unhinged: Sally Hawkins
Image courtesy of A24.
Michael and Danny Philippou, the Aussie twin brothers behind 2023’s viral summer horror hit Talk to Me, are back with a refined sophomore scare. The Adelaide-born filmmakers honed their skills as successful YouTubers (aka RackaRacka), and cut their teeth crewing for films such as director Jennifer Kent’s grief study, The Babadook. Certain to find its place among A24’s horror gems, Philippous’ Bring Her Back follows a kind of horror tradition at the indie distributor, joining an impressive catalogue of horror debut and sophomore features from emerging filmmakers like Ari Aster (Hereditary and Midsommar) and Robert Eggers (The Witch and The Lighthouse). Even the number of words in their respective titles align. Developed alongside Talk to Me — A24's highest-grossing horror film to date — Bring Her Back is what the brothers call a “spiritual successor”, and it’s easy to believe the Adelaide-set stories operate in the same supernatural sphere.
Bring Her Back is a heavy, serious affair grappling with the all-consuming power of grief. As with Talk to Me, the film was shot in the Philippous' home city and revolves around characters adjusting to the death of a loved one. Here the conduit to the undead isn’t an embalmed hand but another, equally disturbing gateway. When their father dies unexpectedly, teenage Andy (Billy Barratt) and his partially sighted half-sister Piper (Sora Wong) are abruptly thrust into the foster system. Under the threat of being split up and with Andy just shy of being able to apply for guardianship, they land in the care of a rather eccentric former social worker named Laura (Sally Hawkins), who is grieving her own familial loss. Living with a stranger is an arrangement that’s uncomfortable enough, but things grow worse as the nearly 18-year-old Andy begins inexplicably wetting the bed, Laura’s interest in Piper grows possessive, and a selectively mute fellow foster child, Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips), displays strange, unnerving behaviour.
The Philippou brothers’ work is a kind of urban myth realised; familiar and yet altogether unique. While not exactly the feel-good movie of the year, this journey into the darkness of our deepest emotions is an undertaking that proves worthwhile. Thankfully the Philippous are not afraid to forgo horror’s over-reliance on jump scares (though there is one very good one) in order to focus on character development. The uneasy, grief-centric plot and brother/sister connection are reminiscent of Ari Aster’s Hereditary and like Toni Collette, Sally Hawkins is yet another example of how great actors elevate the genre. The young cast is equally top-notch, led by the London-born Billy Barratt, with a disconcerting turn from newcomer Jonah Wren Phillips (enhanced by a talented make-up team). Gorehounds will find one particular scene a highlight. Though often violent and disturbing, Bring Her Back contrasts elements of the supernatural with real horrors prevalent in the foster care system, where home itself can be a dangerous place. A catalyst for conversation and a contemplation on the madness of grief — it might take time to shake.
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Billy Barratt, Sally Hawkins, Mischa Heywood, Jonah Wren Phillips, Stephen Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, and Sora Wong.
Dir Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou, Pro Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Screenplay Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman, Ph Aaron McLisky, Pro Des Vanessa Cerne, Ed Geoff Lamb, Music Cornel Wilczek, Costumes Anna Cahill, Hair & Makeup Rebecca Burrato, Special Makeup Effects Make-Up Effects Group, Scarecrew Studios.
Causeway Films/RackaRacka Studios/SAFC Studios/Salmira Productions-A24/Sony Pictures Releasing.
99 mins. Australia. 2025. US Rel: 30 May 2025/UK Rel: 1 Aug 2025. Cert. R/15.
