The Gist
Two teenagers find themselves having to move in with a strange foster carer after the death of their father.
The Review
Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou stunned the world with their debut feature Talk To Me. The praise was endless but one thing was clear – horror fans from right around the world were impressed by the fact that they had discovered genre filmmakers who were more than willing to push the boundaries.
Now comes the big test – can the Philippous live up to the hype generated around them with their second film? A film where even the release of the trailer became a big event.
With Bring Her Back the plot centres around siblings Andy (Billy Barratt – Mary Poppins Returns) and Piper (newcomer Sora Wong) whose lives change forever when their father passes away in graphic circumstances.
Social worker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton – Wentworth) works with them and eventually finds a foster home that they both go to. It is the home of one of Wendy’s former colleagues a woman named Laura (Sally Hawkins – The Shape Of Water) who left her job after her daughter tragically drowned.
While Wendy tells Andy and Piper what a great person Laura is upon their arrival at her home they experience something very different. Straight away it seems like she is doing anything she can do to get Andy in trouble and while he feels victimised due to her blindness Piper can’t see anything that is happening to him.
Add to that is the strange Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips – Sweet Truth) who also calls Laura’s house home and soon Andy begins to realise that something isn’t right here.
One of the things that makes this such a special film is the brave style of filmmaking we see from the Philippous. So often in the horror genre these days we see filmmakers who want to keep their audience in the dark and then deliver a sudden ‘surprise’ right at the end.
With Bring Her Back the filmmakers play their card early on. From the get-go the audience knows that Laura is using an old VHS put together by a cult to try and bring her daughter back from the dead. Instead of a distraction for what is happening to Andy and Piper it actually raises the suspense. With the audience knowing that Laura is messing with some dark magic it actually lets them worry about the safety of the characters that they quickly develop a bond with.
On the flipside of that the Phillippous also don’t reveal everything. Yes, they know the general gist of what Laura is trying to do but all of the ins and outs of that are kept a mystery which means the audience keeps asking things like – how does Oliver fit into all of this? And will something have to happen to Andy and Piper in order for Laura’s dark plan to come into fruition.
The other thing that I love that the filmmakers have done here is keep their Australian heritage with the film. After the success of Talk To Me I think most people expected that the Phillippous would have headed to the US for their next film with an All-American cast. To their credit though not only have they shot the film in Australia but they have made the characters very Australian. Yes they have attracted an international star to the film – in the form of Sally Hawkins – but they have surrounded her with Australian actors while still keeping that great Aussie horror/thriller feel that has made films like Acolytes and Hounds Of Love so special.
Who also benefits here from the brilliantly written and particularly nasty screenplay are the cast. Sally Hawkins relishes with the opportunity to play the unhinged and evil Laura and in doing so she delivers one of the best performances that you will see on screen this year. She is also well supported by Billy Barratt who puts in a performance well beyond his years. If his name isn’t being mentioned when it comes to some of the Australian film awards later this year then he has certainly been hard done by.
The Verdict
If you are a horror fan that enjoys movies that explore the occult or cults then Bring Her Back is a must see. Danny and Michael Philippou have delivered a well-written thriller that is not afraid to double as a nasty horror. As filmmakers they don’t hold back and the result is a bloody ride for the audience laced with suspense and brilliant performances.
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