Bring Her Back
Bring Her Back (2025) is the latest entry in an increasingly compelling list of horror films released by A24. Being an A24 film, one would expect that this film demarcates the border between visceral and unsettling horror and avant garde arthouse splendor. Bring Her Back does not disappoint in either endeavor, but the whether or not that always makes for a compelling piece of cinema is still up for discussion.
Anchoring Horror in Catastrophic Loss
This take a familiar A24 horror path by anchoring much of the narrative around the theme of deep emotional loss. Both Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019) used this same substrate for their foundation, and both films did so to great success. Bring Her Back goes hard with a double does of anguish. First, Piper (Sora Wong), a visually disabled girl and her brother Andy (Billy Barratt) lose the father horribly. Then, as they are forced into the foster care system they meet Laura (Sally Hawkins), a foster parent grieving the drowning loss of her blind daughter, Cathy.
Ultimately this scheme works very well because as lines are being drawn between the good and the wicked in this film, these different angles of despair force the audience to reconcile their sympathy with their aversion.
Lest We Forget About Ollie
The previous paragraphs do a good job of setting the stage for the rest of the film, there is another piece required to make it complete. Laura also has a son named Oliver, Ollie, that looks to be a problem from Jump Street. For starters he’s often found staring into the abyss while his pale skin nearly reveals his organs beneath. He’s mute, so the audience is unable to unpack what exactly is wrong with him. What’s more, Ollie seems to rapidly and visibly get worse over the course of the film. Clearly this kid is going to be a problem.
Bring Her Back Themes
The film is directed by brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. These guys are coming in hot after their directorial debut, Talk to Me (2022). Purportedly, the brothers sought to release a new film that takes advantage of the Psycho-Biddy sub-genre of horror. For those no hop to the fact, Psycho-Biddy is the current term to describe films about the horror of a woman scorned. This sub-genre got is start in 1962 with Bette Davis’ What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” While the nomenclature sounds a bit misogynist to these baby ears, there is not doubt that the sub-genre is legit.
Yet, the Psycho-Biddy aspects of the film are easily overshadowed by other genre tendencies. The film is definitely steeped in Supernatural Horror, specifically leaning into Possession Horror. There is just a touch of Analog horror thrown in for good measure. The whole mix is seasoned heavily with some pretty revolting body horror elements. Just saying, this film covers a lot of ground and can probably cater to a pretty wide pool of film goers.
Technicals
The photography is well up to A24 standards and maybe even more important is the shot selection itself. Cinematographer Aaron McLisky must navigate the confines of Laura’s home. At times it feels constrained and claustrophobic. Other times it feels cavernous, likely due to careful tracking that never fully reveals the floorplan of the home. The muted colors and flat lighting create an oppressive feeling of despair fitting for the pace of the film. Another thing that stands out with the photography is the willingness to hang in the shot when the action is screaming for the audience to turn away.
Supporting the visual is a soundtrack created by Cornel Wilczek. The music is sparse, plodding and preferring ambiance to exposition. It hangs like a shroud of beautiful dread over the action of the film. It all points to a foreboding future for the antagonists, but never reveals when or how. Accompanying this musical score are the screeching, clicking and chattering sounds of one losing their grip on reality.
The special effects are actually quite good and certainly not overdone. Credited to Michael Max Hughes and Tim Riach, the special effects are not groundbreaking and fall mostly inline with your average lycanthropy and possession films, but they become especially impactful when exacted on the frail frame of a young boy. The scenes involve some brutally hard to watch sequences that look extremely believable while the camera lingers. Most of the effect appear to be practical in nature, but I am glad to proven wrong here.
The Suffering of Loss
Painting a gentle refrain on the topic of loss, this film really leans into this theme more than any specific horror related trope. As the film reaches its final act, the depravity born of this anguish grows to fever pitch just before breaking into something more complicated and revealing of human nature. Still, the end result is so bleak and the characters so shattered that there is really no catharsis. It’s an incredibly sad film once the horrors evaporate, but the darkness overcomes any light that could come of it.
It is really difficult to elaborate on the going on in this film without spoiling it, but it is safe to say that Laura has a remedy for her anguish. Piper and Ollie both play starring roles. The film does do a good job obfuscating what is happening until it is ready for a reveal. When it finally reveals Laura’s plan, it does so in style.
Worthy Performances
The performances of this film are wholly adequate while also being unremarkable. Sally Hawkins performance as Laura stands above the rest. She instantly reveals that she is someone to fear while gradually unfolding over the course of the film to reveal her true motive. The performances of Sora Wong and Billy Baratt also played up to expectations for a film of this caliber. Considering that most of the film involves these three characters, the performances easily get the job done.
Bringing It Back
Bring Her Back checks all the boxes for A24 quality and A24 tone. Possibly it checks the a bit too well. The film look much more fantastic in the trailer than it felt while watching it. In fact, it really starts to feel a bit too familiar a bit too fast. Don’t get me wrong, it is a good film that should appeal to a modest slice of horror fans. Yet it I feels like it follows a path well worn by A24s Hereditary, just not as well and to a less fantastic place.
TL;DR Review of Bring Her Back (2025)
Bring Her Back walks the well-worn A24 tightrope between art-house sensibility and gut-churning horror. Directed by the Philippou brothers (Talk to Me), the film leans heavily into emotional devastation, following two foster siblings and their new caretaker, Laura (Sally Hawkins), who harbors her own secret grief. Anchored by themes of profound loss, the film delivers impressive atmosphere, bolstered by Aaron McLisky’s claustrophobic cinematography and Cornel Wilczek’s oppressive score.
While it excels in tone and existential dread, the film’s narrative feels overly familiar. The final act veers into emotionally jagged territory, but never achieves catharsis among the dead and broken people that survive. Performances are solid, especially Hawkins, but rarely transcend. Ultimately, it’s a well-crafted piece of cinema that will resonate with a lot of horror fans, but it falls short of being a truly fantastic film.