Bring Her Back

I'm a fan of the Philippou brothers' work on "Talk to Me". While that film had plenty of creepy imagery, it still felt more like a fun, popcorn-style horror experience. That's why I was genuinely excited to hear about "Bring Her Back"-these are the kinds of follow-ups where you really see what directors are made of.

"Bring Her Back" takes a more serious and artistic approach to horror than Talk to Me. The first 30 minutes are dedicated to character development, which felt a bit slow and could have been tighter in editing. However, once the story gains momentum, it really takes off.

Rather than relying on cheap jump scares, this film builds tension through atmosphere and unsettling imagery. It's beautifully shot, often disturbing, and the acting performances are excellent. Definitely worth seeing in theaters.

BRING HER BACK was everything I hoped it would be. It will absolutely nauseate thousands of people. While many will recognize it's greatness, an equal amount will call it "a terrible movie" because it will so effectively fill them with intensely negative feelings throughout it's entire runtime, as it intends to do, and as most of the greatest horror movies of all time do. It is utterly brutal, and wholly unnerving, with the power to sicken and traumatize. There are plenty of movies that feature relentless amounts of brutal violence, but BRING HER BACK manages to disturb on a deeper level, likely by way of the great majority of it's brutality occurring amongst children (and, kids who are being manipulated by an adult, on top of everything else). It is painful to watch things unfold, and that's what makes it a truly effective horror film.

I took a chance on the directors' first film TALK TO ME when it hit theaters a couple of years ago, and was blown away. Not only was it fiercely original with it's concepts and it's vibe, but it was more fun than the majority of horror films, and got WAY more cruel and intense than I was expecting in its second half. When I saw the trailer for this, I knew it was highly likely they would be taking the cruelty even further, and that is precisely what they have done.

Casting lead Sally Hawkins in this role is the most brilliant casting utilization I have seen this year thus far. She is most commonly known as playing heartwarming characters (like Paddington's adoptive mother), but here, as the villain she is utterly terrifying - I think that knack for playing warm characters adds to the horror of her character immensely, and with these elements combined it leads to by far the best performance I've ever seen by her - fully gut-wrenching. All of the kids that fill out of the rest of the cast were phenomenal as well. I can't even imagine being Jonah Wren Phillips and playing the poster boy character Oliver - the role is so colossally intense, it makes me wonder if it's going to effect him in reality for the rest of his life - I feel like it will have to in some form.

Beyond all else, it's clear that the Philippou brothers are intelligent people. They know how to dig into the audiences psyche with such precision, and one of the key ways they do that is by keeping their films rich with a level of psychological depth that a great majority of horror films are missing nowadays. The movie is brimming with dramatic themes that are the type of things that deeply traumatize children in reality - taking this and rounding it out with some truly hellish supernatural ideas and visual horror, and you have the recipe for an absolutely devastating horror film. I was also impressed with the level of emotive resonance that this brutal film managed to conjure during its finale - I was on the verge of tearing up, and that is very rare for horror. The only reason I don't give it a 10 out of 10 is because I know it will simply be too dark and brutal for a huge chunk of the population, it doesn't exactly cater to repeat viewings.

From the very first scenes, the film sets a heavy unsettling tone. From the beginning, the story doesn't really try to hide much I think you kind of understand where it's going early on. It's not particularly scary in the traditional sense, but it really messes with your nerves, and that's where the movie puts all its power.

It never really lands anywhere specific though...By the time the credits roll, you're left thinking, "All that... for nothing?". Not because it was a bad film, but because it left you with an emotional emptiness. It lingers in a sad, slightly disappointing way not from poor storytelling, but from how little it seemed to leave behind.

After the success of "Talk To Me," Danny and Michael Philippou teamed up again to make "Bring Her Back." This movie had a lot of buzz when it came out, but I never got around to seeing it until recently. Starring Billy Barratt, Sally Hawkins, and Sora Wong, this movie is about a pair of siblings moving to a foster home after their dad died. However, some things don't seem to be normal at their new home.

It is a type of movie that I suggest going into blind, so you can get the best experience. It is a story that has been seen before, but it's done in a unique way. Horror this year has been giving us a lot of good original stories. The gore and effects were disturbing and gnarly. The effects seemed practical, but if they weren't, the CGI was great. I found the characters to be interesting and well-acted. Sora Wong is actually visually impaired in real life, but she was able to emote and connect to the scene really well. There were many tense situations due to her character's condition. Billy Barratt was a strong protagonist who had a compelling character arc mostly. Sally Hawkins was the standout, however. Her character had a different mask for each character she interacted with.

From the beginning of the movie, there were rules set about certain things. The movie follows those rules loosely, especially in the third act, but it was never explained why these rules existed. There was a lot of ambiguity involved that allowed the movie to go where it did. The third act also seemed to fizzle out. I was let down by how weakly the movie ended. We never got a satisfying ending to the stories of multiple characters, but this is also due to how poorly they handled one of the main characters toward the end. There was a setup that they never capitalized on. It is almost like the studio said there had to be some positivity in this movie, so they threw it in at the very end.

Overall, "Bring Her Back" was a decent movie exploring grief. The gore and horror elements were very good, but the film dragged on in what should have been a simple ending. I would only recommend this to horror fans.

83/100

Bring Her Back is one of those rare horror films that hit both emotionally and technically. The story is intimate and unsettling, but it's the execution that makes it stand out.

First, Sally Hawkins delivers a phenomenal performance - raw, layered, and painfully real. She holds the entire film on her shoulders with such precision and emotion that it's honestly Oscar-worthy. I couldn't help but think of Hereditary (2018), where Toni Collette also gave a mind-blowing performance but was completely snubbed by the Academy. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself.

Atmosphere is tense from the very first scene. The film masterfully builds dread without relying on cheap jump scares. The cinematography is elegant and intimate, often using close shots and cold tones to create a feeling of claustrophobia and grief. Sound design and music are subtle but deeply effective - at times you don't even notice them, but they're working in the background, crawling under your skin.

This is not just another horror flick. It's thoughtful, beautifully acted, and full of emotional weight. Highly recommended if you appreciate horror that respects your intelligence.