We went in with Candy Kittens and curiosity, and left quietly traumatised. Bring Her Back is a bold, brilliantly performed psychological horror that grabs you by the throat – then emotionally wrecks you. Between the spiralling siblings, a disturbingly intense foster mum, and moments that made the whole cinema go silent, this one’s sticking with us. And yes, we will be whispering “grapefruit” to each other for weeks.
🌀 What’s Bring Her Back about?
Half-siblings Piper and Andy are just trying to survive their grief after the sudden (and very suspicious) death of their dad – but life has other plans. With Piper headed into foster care and Andy just three months away from turning 18, the two are desperate to stay together. Their lifeline? A seemingly generous foster mum named Laura, who agrees to take them both in.
But from the moment they arrive, something is off. Laura can’t get Andy’s name right, their new family photos are suspiciously missing one face, and Ollie – the only other child in the house – is silently chewing through things that shouldn’t be chewable.
There’s a secret word (grapefruit 🍊), a kitchen counter with bite marks, and a slow descent into something dark, surreal, and genuinely heartbreaking. Bring Her Back isn’t just a horror movie – it’s a twisted story of grief, guilt, and the lengths people go to in order to feel whole again.
Whatever you think this movie is… it’s weirder than that.
🍿 TL;DR
Two half-siblings lose their dad, gain a creepy new foster mum, and accidentally get drafted into the resurrection cult economy. You know, classic Tuesday. Emotional, grotesque, and quietly devastating.
🎬 The Hook
“She’ll die in the rain.”
We don’t know who “she” is yet, but you will clench.
🎞️ The Big Picture
It’s about grief, sure. It’s about sibling loyalty, absolutely. But it’s also about blind trust (literally), parental obsession, and the kind of secrets that fester in the dark. What stays with you is how quietly this one hits. It’s not just a horror. It’s a tragedy with goo.
🎥 What’s It About?
When their dad dies under slippery circumstances, Andy and Piper are sent to live with Laura, a grieving mother who’s maybe, definitely, into dark magic. Things go weird. Then worse. Then what the actual fork.
🚪 Beyond the Trailer
Creepy kids? Check. VHS cult footage? Check. Demonic possession via melon snack? Triple check. But beyond the surface weirdness, this is a surprisingly emotional gut-punch about complicated family ties – and how far people go to rewrite the past.
🔍 Under the Surface (No Spoilers)
There’s so much going on here:
- Grief as obsession
- Sibling protection as redemption
- The tension between what we remember and what we hide
Also: blind girls deserve better swimming pool safety. Just saying.
🍬 Inside the Box (Spoiler-Free Highlights)
- Sally Hawkins is terrifying and believable, switching between “warm mum energy” and “possessed necromancer” like it’s her day job.
- Billy Barratt sells Andy’s spiral with actual emotional depth, not just teen angst.
- Sora Wong makes an impressive debut, giving Piper vulnerability and strength.
- Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips)? Nightmare fuel. But also… kind of heartbreaking.
Let’s not forget: some of the grossest practical effects we’ve seen all year (do not snack during this one unless you have a steel stomach).
🌟 Review by Emma
★ ★ ★ ★
We went armed with our Candy Kitten Sourz expecting a creepy time, but Bring Her Back completely caught us off guard – in the best way. The VHS segments kick things off with a sinister lo-fi vibe, and then it just keeps escalating. One minute you’re watching a teen bond with a mute kid using melon rewards, and the next he’s eating the kitchen counter. (We wish that was hyperbole.)
The real standout though? That emotional core. The sibling bond between Andy and Piper is raw and beautiful, even as secrets threaten it. And Laura… oh boy. She’s not just a villain – she’s a mother trying to claw back what she lost, no matter the cost. It’s horrifying because it makes sense in the worst way.
By the end, our cinema was weirdly silent, like everyone needed a moment to decompress. Or cry. Or call their mum.
Also, PSA: If your child is partially sighted then maybe don’t have an unsecured pool in the backyard – could have saved to much trouble. And social services checks – where you at in this town?
🎭 Mood & Movie Matchmaker
Gooey, griefy, and psychologically janky – with just enough warmth to rip your heart out before the demons do.
📺 Vibe Check
- 🎨 Visual Style: Gritty VHS + grim Aussie realism
- 🔪 Intensity: Slow burn to full chaos
- 🧠 Thought Level: Deceptively deep
- 🎢 Emotional Range: From “ew” to “ow” to “oh no baby no”
📽️ If You Liked…
- Talk To Me
- Hereditary
- The Babadook
- That one episode of Bluey that emotionally destroyed you
🧃 Emotional Map
😱 Creepy Kid Energy — 10/10
💔 Sibling Feels — 8/10
🤢 What Did He Just Eat? — 9/10
🧠 Existential Grief Spiral — 8/10
🏊 Pool-Related Regret — 12/10
🎯 Best For Viewers Who…
…like their horror with guts – literal and emotional.
…aren’t afraid of morally complex mums.
…want to be shaken and stirred.
📦 Who Will Love This Movie?
- A24 girlies (and guys!)
- People who say “I don’t scare easy” and then sleep with the lights on
- Horror fans who need more than jump scares
- Anyone with a complicated sibling relationship and a fear of bathroom tiles
📍Where to Watch
Now playing in cinemas in Australia, the US, and the UK.
💡 Fun Extras
- That VHS tape is gonna haunt your dreams.
- This was filmed in Adelaide, which is now legally haunted.
- Sora Wong was a total newcomer. Like, Facebook casting call newbie. And she killed it.
🎭 Cast of Bring Her Back
AKA: The emotionally wrecked, morally dubious, and possibly possessed ensemble we didn’t know we needed.
👦 Billy Barratt as Andy
Your classic emotionally repressed teen boy – except this one is concussed, grieving, possibly hallucinating, and doing his best to stop a resurrection ritual with nothing but trauma and vibes. We respect the effort.
👧 Sora Wong as Piper
Andy’s partially sighted step-sister and emotional anchor – sweet, hopeful, and honestly trying her best to keep the family together. She trusts Laura longer than she probably should (oops), but who can blame her? Piper’s navigating grief, secrets, and a seriously creepy household with a lot more grace than anyone deserves.
😇 Sally Hawkins as Laura
Foster mum, spiritual grief-goblin, and CEO of the Unhinged Mums Cinematic Universe™. Sweet on the surface, demonic-cult-core underneath. Hawkins chews this role like Ollie chews… everything.
😶 Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver / Connor Bird
The mute mystery boy who’s either severely traumatized or housing a demon. Spoiler: it’s both. Equal parts heartbreaking and terrifying, he somehow makes knife-gnawing look… poignant?
📋 Sally-Anne Upton as Wendy
Social worker and accidental action hero. She shows up late, but she shows up hard. Justice for Wendy, honestly.
🚿 Stephen Phillips as Phil
Andy and Piper’s dad, who slips into the afterlife early (shower scene, we’ll never unsee you). He’s mostly dead but still manages to cause chaos posthumously. Impressive, really.
🪦 Mischa Heywood as Cathy
Laura’s tragically drowned daughter… who refuses to stay buried. Doesn’t say much, but her presence (read: freezer cameo) looms large over the film. RIP and also… not.
💬 People Also Asked: Bring Her Back Edition
Still emotionally raw? Still slightly confused? You’re not alone. Here’s what the internet wants to know – and what we think we can explain without summoning anything.
🤔 What is Bring Her Back about?
It’s about two half-siblings who lose their father and end up in the home of a Very Weird Woman™ who turns out to be grieving, occult-obsessed, and absolutely not cleared by social services. Cue demonic possession, dead girls in freezers, and one of the most disturbing uses of watermelon in cinema history.
🤔 Is Bring Her Back a sequel to Talk to Me?
Nope! Same directors (the Philippou brothers), same deeply unhinged horror energy, but totally different story. Think of it as a spiritual sibling: same bloodline, different nightmare.
🤔 Is Bring Her Back a good movie?
Yes. In a “my soul left my body and I may never trust a foster carer again” kind of way. It’s smart, scary, gross, emotional, and features Sally Hawkins casually acting circles around the genre. You’ll probably need a nap after.
🤔 What is happening in Bring Her Back?
Short answer: grief + trauma + demon = bad vibes.
Long answer: A grieving mum tries to bring her dead daughter back by tricking her new foster kids into becoming ritual ingredients. There’s a possessed mute boy, freezer storage issues, identity confusion, and sibling love that might just save the day (but not your sleep schedule).
🤔 What was the point of Ollie in Bring Her Back?
Ah yes, our sweet creepy cryptid. Ollie (real name: Connor Bird, poor kid) is the ritual vessel. His job?
- Be possessed by a demon.
- Eat Cathy’s corpse (we wish we were joking).
- Barf out her soul into Piper’s dead body.
It’s basically demonic recycling.
Laura keeps Ollie locked up to stop him from premature snacking because ritual steps have to be just right.
Unfortunately, Tari (the demon) gets hangry. Real hangry. Like “eats the counter and his own hand” hangry.
🎤 Final Thoughts
Bring snacks, bring tissues, and maybe bring a priest. Bring Her Back is one of the most original and emotionally brutal horror films of the year – and it’s not afraid to get messy. Literally.
💀 Fancy more horror chaos?
If Bring Her Back left you emotionally ruined (in a good way), you’re in the right place.
Check out our other horror reviews for more possessed children, tragic backstories, and questionable parenting choices. We’ve got snacks. (Not knives. Promise.)
📽️ Want More Unhinged Opinions?
Check out our Letterboxd review of Bring Her Back for the full PPC experience – emotional damage, melon discourse, and bold thoughts about home safety standards.
While you’re there, follow us for more horror hot takes, weird vibes, and the occasional ghost-related rant. 💀🍉🛁