WSB x Moving Picture Review: Bring Her Back

Who’d have thought three years ago that the twin YouTubers known for their stunt videos and impersonations of Ronald McDonald would be making one of the year’s most talked about horror films? Who then would have bet on them doing it twice in a row? Danny and Michael Philippou, along with co-writer Bill Hinzman, are set to do just that with Bring Her Back, their follow-up film to 2023’s Talk to Me. Like Talk to Me, Bring Her Back tackles loss and an unwillingness to let go, and though grief is hardly new territory in horror, the Philippou brothers are carving out a niche for themselves by shining a light into some very dark, despairing corners. 

Sally Hawkins as Laura in Bring Her Back. Image courtesy of IMDb.

In Bring Her Back, Andy (Billy Barratt) and his visually impaired stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are thrust into the foster care system following the unexpected death of their father. After Andy convinces their social worker not to split the pair up until he turns 18 when he can file for guardianship, Andy and Piper find themselves at the door of Laura (Sally Hawkins), an ex-counselor who became a foster parent after her own daughter’s drowning, and Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), her eerily mute ward.

The scripts for Talk to Me and Bring Her Back were written simultaneously, according to the Philippous, which might explain some of the similarities, but the new film is by no means a rehash of the first. Bring Her Back is darker (if you can believe it) and more devastating (if you can believe that!) than its predecessor and confirms that in their films, no character can be considered “safe.”

The sense of loss that permeates Bring Her Back may start with the loss of Andy and Piper’s father, but it’s Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) who steals the thunder in this regard. Though this is only the first horror film for the twice-Oscar nominated actress, Hawkins is electrifying as the manipulative and desperate Laura. Her soft, motherly demeanor masks her anguish, and though her cracks are seen early, Hawkins expertly restrains her most menacing traits until it’s too late. The pain she feels at losing her daughter is palpable and, though it’s expressed in a much, much different way, could easily give Toni Collette’s Annie in Hereditary a run for her money. 

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One area that is attracting criticism is the Philippous’ reticence for detailing the mythology they’re crafting for the film. Despite doing a great deal of research for the script, very little about the ritual or the beliefs behind it are shown on-screen. But the breadcrumbs are there—if you’re willing to follow them. Laura’s tattooed hand, for instance, is never directly addressed, but it’s clearly the alchemical symbol for air. Or, one might imagine, breath. Circles, too, play a vital role throughout the film, from the white border surrounding Laura’s home to the gestures she uses to calm and center Oliver. These circles are never addressed either, but one doesn’t have to go far to find deep significance in the shape, whether to represent infinity or cyclicity, heavenly bodies or divinity. The spirituality of the circle is found in wheels of Dharma, mandalas, rose windows, magic circles, halos—it’s no stretch of the imagination to include the shape in a ritual which we, like Laura, don’t fully understand.

It’s clear enough that Laura’s history with the ritual is her grasping at straws to see her daughter again. It’s implied in the way that she religiously watches the fuzzy VHS tape of a successful rite done in Russia that she stumbled upon the tape and, convinced of its veracity, began her preparations. Because of her own tenuous knowledge of the forces at play, our own understanding is similarly—and rightfully—muted. Laura’s willingness to engage with these dark spirits is a last resort for a grieving mother, which is exactly what makes her so dangerous.

What makes Bring Her Back so scary, so real, aren’t the tropes it shares with films about demonic possessions or exorcisms, but how deftly Laura manipulates those around her, cleaving away at their trust and methodically moving pawns into place to keep her plans on track. That the characters all have such full and rich backstories—and the actors such chemistry—make the emotional impact of the film that much more intense. 

Bring Her Back could have been a satisfying appetizer before the Philippous embarked on the Talk to Me sequel that so many people are waiting for, but it’s not. It’s far too good for that. It’s a statement to the horror community that these young directors have something to say and we should all take note.

Where to watch Bring Her Back:

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WSB x Moving Picture Reviews is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Moving Picture Festival. The Pittsburgh Moving Picture Festival celebrates both the art of cinema and the rich motion picture exhibition tradition of the City of Pittsburgh. Our goal in this series is to highlight new and upcoming genre films and, wherever possible, to support local, independent movie theaters in the process.

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Article Written by Ande Thomas

Ande loves the intersection of sci-fi and horror, where our understanding of the natural world clashes with our fear of the new and unknown. He is an independent member of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and a supporting member of the Horror Writers Association. He writes about monsters and foreign horror and can also be found over on Letterboxd.

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