Bring Her Back

Wasn't expecting such a great horrow show from Australia. It's quite gruesome. Well done.

Decent trauma horror. Chewing scene was great! Go ahead and put this ham on your face as you may need it to cover your eyes in some scenes.

When their father is found dead in the shower, seventeen year old “Andy” (Billy Barrett) wants to look after his blind step-sister “Piper” (Sora Wong) but he’s just too young. Rather than split them up, social services offer to send them both into the care of “Laura” (Sally Hawkins) who has recently lost a daughter of her own. She seems to take to the young girl, but is completely indifferent to her big brother and both siblings are perplexed by the presence of the mute “Oliver” (the scene-stealing Jonah Wren Phillips) who seems to inhabit a world all of his own. As the newcomers try to settle in, it becomes apparent that “Laura” has an agenda that might not synch up with either “Piper” or “Andy” and when she clearly starts to sabotage not just their relationship but also any chance he might have for guardianship, an ulterior motive starts to rear it’s brutally ugly head. This is a completely different type of horror movie from most I’ve seen, and that’s largely down to Hawkins. She exudes a potent combination of trustworthiness and coercive intimidation really quite compellingly. Her character got quite successfully under my finger nails as she played her manipulative game and unusually, I found myself caring about these two youngsters. It’s tensely directed, set amidst a remote farmhouse and plays nicely to assumptions that this woman has been endorsed by the authorities, so therefore she must be kosher for these kids still dealing with the grief of finding their dad on the bathroom floor. It also benefits from concluding in a largely unexpected fashion, and it’s safe to say that the underpinning psychology of this story of bereavement and desperation is quite a compelling watch. After about twenty minutes, try watching it with your eyes closed for a short while - it is quite scary.

After the explosive and inventive horror of TALK TO ME, my anticipation for Danny and Michael Philippou's follow-up was immense. I was prepared for intensity, but nothing quite readies you for BRING HER BACK, a film that perfectly defines the term "tough watch." This is a profoundly discomforting and disturbing experience, featuring some of the most visually shocking and traumatic scenes in recent memory. The true standout is the makeup and prosthetics department, whose gruesome work is so visceral it burrows under your skin, no matter how seasoned a horror viewer you might be. The Philippou brothers once again demonstrate their exceptional storytelling craft, employing a stark "show, don't tell" approach that trusts the audience's intelligence to piece together a layered narrative. While the underlying story is more straightforward than their debut, the masterful control of tone and pacing builds an almost unbearable tension, sustained by tremendous performances. Sally Hawkins is predictably brilliant, but it's the young cast — led by Sora Wong and Billy Barratt, and featuring a spectacularly creepy Jonah Wren Phillips — that carries the movie's heavy, dark heart. Where the film elevates itself from mere shock horror to something truly profound is in its brutal thematic exploration. This is a story about how unresolved grief can corrupt and metastasize, twisting a mother's love into a monstrous, obsessive force that perpetuates cycles of abuse. The supernatural elements serve as a dark, powerful allegory for the very real horrors of identity erasure and the vulnerability of foster children, used by adults to fill their own emotional voids. Andy, our voice of reason, anchors the narrative as he fights to protect his blind stepsister, Piper, from the chillingly manipulative Laura, a woman whose unholy grief drives her to commit unspeakable acts. It's a complex, harrowing dynamic that's almost perfectly executed, save for one bold decision regarding a character's fate that feels tacked on for shock value rather than narrative substance. Still, this is a minor issue in an otherwise remarkable work. An unforgettable and essential piece of modern horror, as thematically rich as it is visually terrifying. Rating: A-