Directors Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk To Me) have returned with a visceral new horror film, Bring Her Back, that will have audiences gasping at some of the very intense scenes. Grief is a very strong emotion, and everyone handles their loss as best as they can. There are some of us who can try to adjust in their life to the new reality and others not so much or as soon as others. This screenplay is written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman that takes the audience through the experience of two siblings who are placed in foster care. The loss of the parents is hard for them, and it is compounded by the discovery of a terrifying ritual the foster mother is carrying out in the secluded home.
I know how I felt during some scenes of the film, but after hearing the audible gasps of other audience members, I knew the story and performances by all the actors left an impact on many of us in one way or another. This is not just another horror film presented with jump scares and recycled story lines.
Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sister Piper (Sora Wong) find their father (Stephen Phillips) lying on the bathroom floor. Andy and Piper are placed in foster care with Laura (Sally Hawkins), a former social worker. This took some convincing by their case worker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton) as Laura only wanted Piper who had low vision and not her almost 18-year-old brother. The siblings have a very strong bond and plan to only be there until Andy was of legal age to take care of Piper.
Andy takes note of a detail not discussed by the foster mom. There is a young boy living there, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), who is a very pale, quiet and has a shaved head. It does not take long to determine there is something amiss with this child. Then Andy begins to have differences with Laura – all because she is determined to keep Piper for her own purposes and will stop at nothing to take away any barriers to her plan. Laura has lost a daughter, Cathy (Mischa Heywood in flashbacks) and it is not clear what the full plan is until the story slowly reveals her true intentions.
There is no doubt the film will remain in mind even weeks after viewing it. Opens in theaters May 30, 2025.
Source: A24
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