The second feature film from Danny and Michael Philippou is here and we definitely have thoughts about it.
*warning: minor spoilers below for Bring Her Back
After Talk to Me blew my mind into oblivion, I swore on the spot that I would watch whatever the pair directed next. That next feature turned out to be Bring Her Back, a supernatural horror film mixed with doses of psychological horror and body horror for good measure. In terms of story, Bring Her Back stands apart from the directors’ previous work, but it still contains the same bone-chilling horror as the story explores the concept of breaching the border between life and death.
Bring Her Back
Directed By: Danny and Michael Philippou
Starring: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally Hawkins
Release Date: May 29, 2025
The big difference is, where Talk to Me centered on contacting the spirits of the dead and the complications that arose from it, Bring Her Back focuses on the idea of bringing someone back from the dead. More specifically, the film focuses on the lengths a person may go to make that happen, for better or worse, and in the case of Bring Her Back, the worst is definitely on full display.
What makes the horror in this film so brilliant is how subtly it’s woven into the story. Of course the audience knows from the start that something is wrong, but the truth is only revealed layer by layer, until suddenly the truth is laid bare in a horrific display that was quite painfully hard to watch, not because it was bad but because it was so intense. As with Talk to Me, I must include a trigger warning for those curious about Bring Her Back: there are scenes of explicit harm taking place to children and strongly implied harm to animals, and if that bothers you, you may want to reconsider watching this film.
One other thing that struck me about this film is how bold Danny and Michael Philippou can be with body horror. There’s only a few examples in the entire film, but when a scene calls for it, the directors’ just go for it. It’s like they magically know when to switch between subtlety and pushing the grotesqueness of it all into the audience’s face.
Another detail that caught my attention after the fact is how emotional Bring Her Back was. Beyond the expected emotions of fear and terror that come with horror films, this film will tug at your heartstrings. Whereas the Philippou’s first feature focused on unspeakable horrors, Bring Her Back features a plot many of us can (sadly) identify with. Who among us hasn’t fantasized, even once, about bending reality and bringing a loved one back to us? When you think about it, the film’s villain is equal parts terrifying and relatable. It’s an age old story: someone gets so caught up in bringing back the one they love that they become a monster in the process and don’t even realize it.
Speaking of characters, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about how stellar the three main leads are in this film. Sally Hawkins’ (Laura) interactions with Billy Barratt (Andy) and Sora Wong (Piper) are among the best moments in the film. Sally Hawkins in particular is mesmerizing to watch because you’re never quite sure which way the performance is going to go next and she’s masterful at keeping the audience off balance as she swings between joy and an almost perverse maliciousness.
To conclude, Bring Her Back is a solid sophomore entry from Danny and Michael Philippou. It perhaps doesn’t reach quite as far as Talk to Me did, but it does more than enough to leave the story seared into the audience’s mind long after the credits have rolled. Horror fans will find much to love in this story.
