Horror fans have been eating well in 2025. Normally we get a few sprinkled around before they hit hard in October, but it’s been a lot different this year. From The Monkey to Clown in a Cornfield and Final Destination Bloodlines, there has been a smorgasbord of goodies for genre fans to indulge in. And we haven’t even begun to discuss Sinners which isn’t just a great horror film, but one of the best movies about music ever made. Eager to continue the trend, Bring Her Back from the team that brought us the wonderful Talk to Me has arrived and is looking to scare us in ways that we couldn’t possibly imagine. It handily does this, but, it requires the heavy price of leaving a piece of your soul in its wake.
Andy (Billy Barratt) has taken care of his visually-impaired sister Piper (Sora Wong) since they can remember. As each other’s closest friends, confidantes, and her protector, the two are closer than anyone in the world. The unfortunate death of their father drops them into the foster care system where Andy fights to ensure they end up in the same home together. And he is successful as they are both taken in by the enthusiastic Laura (Sally Hawkins) and her other, mute foster child Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). Things feel weird from the start, but as the ghosts that haunt Laura slowly begin to manifest, Andy discovers that she wants more than just to give them a good home. She wants to resurrect a past that can only be attained through Piper, and Andy is hellbent on keeping that from coming to fruition.
Almost all horror films are intended to impart a message and make you think, and this is especially true of Australian ones. From The Babadook and the aforementioned Talk to Me, the lessons learned are oftentimes about grief, letting go of the past, and surviving with trauma. Many of these themes are present here as well, however the way they are portrayed is nearly mind destroying to say the least.
No spoilers of course, but I have never walked out of a movie and felt so disoriented and just “wrong.” In fact, if anyone didn’t I would almost wonder about their sanity and sense of self. Bring Her Back is absolutely brutal with how it plays with its characters’, and by extension, the audience’s emotions and mental well-being. Everything you see is dripping with despair and the ichor of hell itself. The pain and torture you see play out before you will last with you for weeks; even now I’m shivering as I write this. And we aren’t talking about physical pain (although there is some intense body horror) but emotional. I can’t even begin to imagine what must be going on inside these people’s heads as even the villain, as despicable as they are, have moments where you can’t help but be partially empathetic for them.
This is also something that is wholly based on the performances of (mainly) just four actors, and it is this that ties everything together. Casting actual teenagers to play that age group makes a difference, and it was great to see representation of people who have low vision as the actor who plays Piper experiences this in real life. It’s no surprise that Billy Barrett was the youngest actor in the world to win an Emmy, and all of his skills are on full display and put to harrowing effect. Sally Hawkins is wonderful as always, but it’s the sublime way she brings a grieving and desperate mother to life that puts us in awe of just how deep our feelings for her can run.
Is Bring Her Back fantastic and something worth watching? Absolutely. But only once. While I want to support A24 and the filmmakers by purchasing it when it comes to home viewing (and I will), I couldn’t possibly see myself ever living through that again. The pain and fear are palpable from beginning to end, and the sense of devastation it leaves you with can never be forgotten. This isn’t a masterpiece, but the effect it will have on you IS a master class on how to accomplish this kind of horror. The filmmakers have once again proven they are excellent at their craft, but I’m fine if this is a one and done experiment, as I actually like to enjoy my horror movies instead of feeling like my soul was ripped from my body while watching them