Movie Review 3 : Bring Her Back (2025)

“I’ve spoken with an angel. It showed me how I can be a mother again…Some people believe the spirit stays in the body for months after death.”

Starring: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Sally Hawkins, Jonah Wren Phillips

Written by: Danny Philippou & Bill Hinzman

Directed by: Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou

Bring Her Back follows the harrowing journey of Andy and Piper, two siblings who, after the sudden death of their father, find themselves in the care of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a seemingly kind foster mother with a tragic past. As they settle into their new home, they uncover unsettling truths about Laura’s intentions. The film delves into themes of grief, trauma, and the lengths one might go to reclaim what was lost, all set against a backdrop of supernatural horror and psychological suspense.

So why and how is it so disturbing? The whole experience is a bit like watching a slow-motion car crash that you desperately don’t want to happen – while being strapped to a chair. The tone as things go from bad to worse and even worser is unrelentingly bleak – but, hey, we are horror fans, right? The suicide of Andy and Piper’s Dad sets this tone, and we are initially drip-fed the news that Andy has been abused by said Dad for years, all while touchingly trying to protect his little sister from the big bad world. The relationship between the half-brother and sister is very well portrayed – they bicker and fight but always have each other’s back, even when threatened with being separated into foster care.

Billy Barratt (Andy) and Sora Wong are very likeable and believable characters confined in an increasingly weird and oppressive situation that unfolds at Laura’s house. Quite remarkably, Sora Wong had “zero experience” acting professionally before she was cast in the film. Her mother came across a casting call on Facebook looking for a visually impaired girl. The Australian high school student, now 14, had only performed in one school play before deciding to put herself forward for Bring Her Back. She says: “I had zero experience in acting, so when I got the news that I managed to pull this role, I was really ecstatic and thrilled.”

The pace at the beginning is a little slow, but things start to get creepy not long after arriving at Laura’s house – big red flags start to wave based on Laura’s unconventional foster parent behaviour. With no spoilers given, these include insisting that Andy kisses his dead father as he lies in an open coffin at the funeral and getting the siblings drunk to “let off steam” afterwards. It would be really lurching into spoiler territory if we mentioned the video nasties – just gird your loins, people, you have been warned.

A lot of the horror also stems from the behaviour and appearance of Laura’s other foster child, Oliver, played with haunting appeal by Jonah Wren Phillips. Oliver gets up to some unsettling actions, some his fault and some part of a system of abuse perpetrated against him – some of it must be seen to be believed and, at times, is not an easy watch.

The main casting masterstroke, though, must be Sally Hawkins (remember the fun-loving and caring Mrs. Brown in Paddington? Forget it, pal). She 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 possibly Oscar-worthy. She hits every beat of this massively complex and grieving character perfectly. In fact, the effective moments that linger in memory mostly come from her.

Some critics have summed it up neatly. Digital Spy shares early reactions from viewers: “Scenes had me squirming to the extreme…a stressful nightmare…genuinely unnerving and often surprisingly moving…viscerally uncomfortable and unforgettable…” AP News delivers a more tempered, analytical tone: “Strong performances, particularly from Barratt and Hawkins…Laura’s unsettling motives begin to unravel, plunging them further into a horror-laced narrative dealing with grief, loss, and psychological distress.”

What is undeniable is that the Philippou brothers have raised the horror bar very high, just as they did with Talk to Me. Again, teens are plunged out of their depths and subjected to horrible events. The fact that we actually care about them is down to the incredibly real and touching performances, which is not always true in effective horror films – think of the expendable teens in the Final Destination movie franchise. If you are a horror fan, you are in for a disturbing, original, and powerful treat. If you are not, keep walking by!

Score 9/10