‘Bring Her Back’ Will Have You Wriggling in Discomfort

At a Glance: Not for the faint of heart, Bring Her Back solidifies the Philippou twins as true auteur horror filmmakers with a shocking and grim story of protection and abuse – one that’s elevated even further by a phenomenal cast.

I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen an entire audience writhing together like worms, desperate to escape the blistering light of a desert sun. This was the impact of Bring Her Back, and I was wriggling alongside the rest.

Danny and Michael Philippou, Australian twin filmmakers known in the YouTube world as RackaRacka, have done something incredible with this film. The followup to their feature film debut Talk to Me, Bring Her Back is bleaker, more tragic, and shockingly more grotesque in every way.

Hardened horror aficionados will no doubt balk at the proclamations that this film is somehow harder to swallow than other extreme horror films, but what makes this film so difficult to watch at times is the heartwrenching drama taking place behind the horror.

The film follows two step-siblings, Andy (Billy Baratt) and his blind sister Piper (Sora Wong), recently orphaned after discovering their father mysteriously deceased in the shower. The siblings are close, but with Andy still three months away from his 18th birthday, Piper is forced into foster care until Andy can take over as her legal guardian.

In comes Laura, played by the brilliant and chilling Sally Hawkins, a former counselor still grieving the loss of her own daughter who, coincidentally, was also blind. She is ecstatic at the opportunity to take Piper under her care, but does not hide her immediate and unwarranted disdain for Andy.

Rounding out the cast is Oliver, Laura’s mute nephew, whose presence on screen is incredibly unnerving. He’s a weird little freak, and young actor Jonah Eren Phillips puts on one of the greatest child performances in recent horror history.

What unfolds is a story of unresolved grief and cyclical abuse, told by two young filmmakers who have seemingly mastered the art of discomfort. There is more than enough disturbing imagery to populate your nightmares for the rest of your life, but none of it is cheap. The twins earn their squirms through misdirection, tight and brutish writing, and the ever present eyes of a talented filmmaker duo.