As the end of May brings action-packed blockbusters such as the eighth and possibly conclusive installment of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise and family friendly live action versions of a Disney classic in Lilo and Stitch, the remaining releases of the month may ultimately sbrtruggle to find an audience. However, in a year so far dominated at the box office by studio horror with Sinners and Final Destination: Bloodlines, a more niche, independent horror film looks to bite into the dividends of its entire competition. Michael and Danny Philippou’s sophomore film, Bring Her Back, delivers on its hype and then some.
The Philippou Brothers, better known as Australian horror-comedy YouTube content creators RackaRacka, brought their signature horror stylings to the bring screen for the first time with Talk To Me in 2023. Their latest endeavor, while still exploring the concept of grief and what it can drive people to do while suffering with loss, is a bit more sophisticated. Bring Her Back relies less on gimmicks to deliver its thematic nature, instead opting for more tense-fueled imagery and audio. Even in down moments in the film, it always feels as though something is happening while you watch each character tick, questioning the motivations and subtle mannerisms for each, whilst never quite feeling as though the characters are sacrificing their goals or established characteristics, as is the traditional pitfall of the genre. Outside of the general premise, TWM’s early review will refrain from potential spoilers ahead of its May 30th release date.
The standout star is that of two-time Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins, whose satanic character Laura adopts a blind girl and her brother following the death of her own daughter. While Hawkins character is rather unsettling and near-irredeemable from the start, Hawkins delightfully delicate performance maintains her credibility during moments of maturity, a complex performance that walks a tight rope for the emotional crux of the film. However, the two children she adopted in the film had remarkable suspenseful performances turned in by newcomers Billy Barratt and Sora Wong. Barratt, the 17-year-old protector of his blind sister, provides the primary foil for the films downturn, delivering an extremely physical performance within a character that had to maintain its likability and warmth, promising an authenticity within the trauma of a well-written and well-intentioned character that accomplishes the task. Meanwhile, the condition of Wong’s Piper allowed for her character to be just as blind to reality as she is to the world, helping shape the eventual downfall of her brother Andy and potentially herself as the film progresses. Perhaps, though, the show-stealing child acting comes from Jonah-Wren Phillips, an immediately startling little boy that lives with the three main cast members but never feels quite right, though being mute is unable to articulate to the audience why the audience feels as uneasy by his presence as they do.
Ultimately, the horror is as thrilling as any movie likely to be released in 2025, but the anxiety-ridden on-paper story acts as a mere front for a much larger, much more important story beneath the surface. Bring Her Back gave each of its characters their own story. For Laura, the story is one about the trauma of losing a child while Piper’s is that of losing a parent, juxtaposing the two most unimaginable and inexplicable losses one can face. Piper’s brother, Andy, is a story of working through your own trauma of abuse that you don’t have an outlet to release, while using the role of a caretaker as a crutch to avoid his own problems. Oliver? Well, for that, you’ll just have to wait and see just how sick the story of that poor boy becomes, but it’s that of survival and perseverance. The film is just as much a familial drama with heart as it a horror filled with scares, and it’s there where it finds its original voice.
The further the film explores the satanic tendencies of Laura, the more chilling the film becomes. Bring Her Back promised to be a gritty fright that’s grittier than the trailer suggested, and frightening in a far more personal way than it implied. The film is not for the faint, but satiates the desire of any hardcore horror audience it finds itself in front of. The expert use of below-the-line filmmaking elements such as its uniquely sharp cinematography, audio elements that have the audience on the edge of their seat for the duration of its crisp one hour, forty five minute runtime, and a conceptually brilliant screenplay that finds a way to maintain its unpredictability without sacrificing the logic behind its twists.
The second film under the belt of the twin filmmaking duo provides a return to staunchly original horror from young auteurs from A24, and is one that should be seen on the largest screen possible. With a release date a week after the combination of Mission Impossible and Lilo and Stitch doesn’t necessarily seem promising, but the debut film for the Philippou Brothers opened just a week after the 2023 Barbenheimer craze, earning $92M at the box office on just a $4.5M budget, carving itself out as a major summer hit despite its stiff competition of two billion dollar grossers. A24 and the Philippou’s are hoping for a repeat of similar proportions with the potential sleeper hit of the summer. While its box office performance remains to be seen, the quality of the film itself is up there with any horror of the last decade, and delivered on everything promised from the trailer and more. You can see the trailer here:
Bring Her Back opens to general audiences on Friday, May 30th, with previews in select markets on Thursday, May 29th.
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