Film review: ‘BRING HER BACK’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’

Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Phillipou conjured dark magic with their sensationally unsettling and intense debut horror feature Talk To Me.  That film’s success led to them being hailed as the new horror wunderkinds and understandably created feverish anticipation for their follow-up feature, Bring Her Back.  While it’s likely that the confrontingly violent and gory Bring Her Back will please those who like movies to administer blunt force trauma to audiences, others may be at least a little disappointed as this disjointed film feels more like a grab bag of ideas (some very reminiscent of other films) rather than a coherent or fully realised story.

The film depicts the nightmarish experiences of teenage step brother and sister Andy (Billy Barrat) and Piper (Sora Wong) who, after their father’s sudden and mysterious death are fostered to single mother Laura (Sally Hawkins) who has a very troubled mute son, Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips). While Laura at first seems remarkably enthusiastic and welcoming, her behaviour becomes increasing strange and hostile.  She gaslights and even physically assaults Andy and Piper, she repeatedly watches a bizarre, apparently real, video of a cannibalism ritual and frequently makes unexplained visits to the padlocked back shed with Ollie.

The film appears to be setting up a fascinating mystery but it doesn’t lead anywhere particularly interesting.  Bring Her Back is full of sound and fury with lots of guttural wailing and moments of bone crunching violence and visceral gore but there’s nothing substantial at its centre. It’s a collection of fragments that never quite coalesce into a compelling narrative. There’s a gnawing sense throughout the film of waiting for the story to kick into gear but it never happens.  Also, we’ve seen much of this before.  The story feels like something from a TV horror anthology series but padded out to feature length.  There are also echoes Hitchcock’s Psycho and also, unfortunately M. Night Shyamalan’s more recent work.

The film hints at important themes such as parental abuse of children and the misuse of religious rites but doesn’t explore these with enough depth.  It also looks at the destructive impact of grief but we saw this done more effectively in a film like Pet Sematary.

Unquestionably, there is some quality filmmaking here with a few tautly directed sequences and atmospheric cinematography from Aaron McLisky that manages to turn Laura’s appealing middle class hippy abode into an oppressive prison.  Also, Sally Hawkins is almost incapable of giving a bad performance and she expertly turns someone in whom we would normally place absolute trust – an educated middle-aged woman with a social service background – into a creepy menace.  She also does a pinpoint Australian accent.  Billy Barrat, again a British actor doing a spot on Aussie accent (and paternal grandson of Shakin’ Stevens no less) and Sora Wong deliver strong performances and there’s an impressive turn from Sally Anne-Upton in a supporting role as a social worker.

Some of the pieces are here for a really impressive horror film but like last year’s overhyped Long Legs, the film lacks a driving sense of purpose and convincing supernatural or other lore to connect the events into a gripping story.

Nick’s rating: ***

Genre: Horror.

Classification: MA15+.

Director(s): Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

Release date: 29th May 2025.

Running time: 104 mins.

Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.

 

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