In Bring Her Back, we follow Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), close step-siblings who lose their father to a terrible accident in the shower just minutes into the film. Still reeling from the death, they are placed into the care of Laura (Sally Hawkins), an eccentric former counselor for social services. At the house, they meet another foster kid Laura is caring for, the mute and creepy Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). As the days eek by, Andy begins to suspect Laura might be hiding some horrific secrets and ulterior motives.
Bring Her Back is the sophomore outing from Danny and Michael Philippou, the men behind Talk To Me. They have the same duties here (Danny and Michael direct, Danny and Bill Hinzman write) and continue to prove that they have an innate knack for horror. The writing and directing is mostly strong, though the attempt to make this more of an ensemble flick doesn’t fully work.
While Bring Her Back sets itself up like Laura, Andy, and Piper will be co-leads, in reality Andy is the main character and Laura is second lead. Very little development is given to Piper (besides that she’s basically blind), and she gets significantly reduced screen time when compared to the others (even Oliver).
It’s tough to say who does the best acting job as Sally Hawkins, Billy Barrett, and Jonah Wren Phillips are all phenomenal. Billy Barrett makes for a very likable, relatable, and intelligent lead. His Andy has believable flaws that only make him feel all the more real and human. It’s easy to get on his side, and the relationship he has with Sora Wong’s Piper is sweet and feels real. Sally Hawkins fully embodies her role of Laura, and makes for a character who is surprisingly easy to understand. Even as she makes certain decisions and carries out specific actions, it isn’t hard to root for her to see the light.
Bring Her Back asks more of Jonah Wren Phillips than most movies ask of young actors, but he pulls it all off with ease. He is a very freaky and disturbing kid. His Oliver easily makes for one of the most memorable and unsettling movie monsters in recent memory, though his character isn’t given much development either and is more-so used for scares.
Aaron McLisky, who shot Talk To Me, is in charge of cinematography. He wows again. The unique and creative cinematography and camera angles help to keep audiences on edge. There’s also a recurring visual motif of circles, which likely represents both the cycle of life, death, and re-birth as well as grief/trauma cycles.
Bring Her Back sets itself up as a bit of a mystery. What is the mysterious ritual Laura is involved in? What does said ritual involve? Will it work? The film lures audiences down dark, winding paths and the closer we get to the end, the more the tension, suspense, and dread builds. There are lots of threads left hanging by the end and plenty of questions go unanswered, leaving more than enough room open for future sequels or prequels.
Watching Bring Her Back is the equivalent of having a knife thrust into your belly and continually twisted back and forth for 90 minutes. Some revelations or answers aren’t surprising, but there is more than enough that succeed at subverting expectations. The ending of this flick might just leave you feeling cold as a corpse.
Bring Her Back isn’t exactly scary, but it is easily the most disturbing, unsettling, depressing, and uncomfortable horror film in the modern day (thus far). It’s effective and affecting.While it explores familiar horror themes concerning trauma, grief, and cyclical patterns it does so in new and grotesque ways.
Bring Her Back isn’t quite as great as Talk To Me for multiple reasons, but it is still an exceptional horror film that succeeds at what it sets out to do: distress and sicken audiences. Bring Her Back dares you to forget about it after you leave the theater. It’s guaranteed you won’t. This one leaves wounds that linger.
4.5 STARS
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