Audiences witnessed the grip YouTube duo RackaRacka (Danny and Michael Philippou) could have on the horror genre with 2023’s horror hit Talk To Me, in which teenagers meddle with an embalmed hand that allows them to commune with the dead. While undercooked in some places, I was eager to see what the duo’s sophomore feature would bring to the table since their first was such a success. The directing duo has shown with their 2025 follow-up, Bring Her Back, that they can push themselves even further past the imagery and themes displayed in Talk To Me.
We follow step-siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) who move in with a peculiar foster mother (Sally Hawkins) and her unsettling adopted son Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) following a horrible tragedy. Directed by the Philippou brothers and written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, Bring Her Back holds many of the same praises Talk To Me does and takes itself to places that most modern horror films would not dare. Despite some rushed pacing, the film is a stellar follow-up to their debut and showcases their talent and potential in the horror space.
Similarly to Talk To Me, Bring Her Back deals with the suffocating impact grief has on individuals. Through the relationship between the pair of siblings and Hawkins’ breathtaking performance, the Philippou brothers truly deliver a feeling of inescapable sadness to the audience, one that permeates the air and envelopes viewers. While it can be tiring to see yet another horror film use grief as a main theme, Bring Her Back is refreshing because the grief is the horror instead of grief causing the horror. Talk To Me’s use of grief was too on the nose for a film about death, but Bring Her Back asks what can happen when grief is unresolved and festers into a horrifying coping strategy.
One of the most striking aspects of Bring Her Back was the dynamic between the main characters. I found Talk To Me to be underdeveloped in terms of its characters, as it was juggling too many at once. Wong and Barratt feel more than believable as step-siblings, forging an unbreakable bond that holds the film’s emotional core together.
As an opposing force, Sally Hawkins as Laura is absolutely astonishing. An actress so well known for her lighthearted roles going to such terrifying places in the name of love is a sight to behold, and her performance stands out as a highlight of the film. She bounces off of the siblings quite well, and the influence of “psycho-biddy” films on both Hawkins’s performance and the directors is clear.
Bring Her Back is nothing without its visceral imagery, and it does not hold back. After a more reserved first half, the film’s second half relentlessly pelts audiences with visuals that twist and turn the stomach. The gory qualities are not limited to its visuals, as the sound design is just as squelchy and disgusting, creating the most stress on the senses possible. DP Aaron McLisky, who returned from Talk To Me, emphasizes the striking red of the blood in these shots and ensures that audiences cannot look away as the characters are similarly forced to reckon with their personal demons.
The Philippou brothers have thoroughly proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the indie horror landscape. Bring Her Back elevates the inescapable dread of Talk To Me and expands on the directing duo’s ability to tell thoughtful stories about the terror of sorrow with compelling character arcs. Not in a very long time has a film felt so sad yet exciting as this one. After witnessing the sophomore feature from these two, I will without a doubt be seated for whatever unnerving viewing experience they cook up next.
Review Courtesy of Nadia Arain
For more on horror, you can read our review of Talk to Me here or listen to our discussion here.
Feature Image Credit to A24 via Variety