Two summers ago, YouTubers-turned-directors Danny and Michael Philippou took theaters by storm with their hit scary movie, Talk to Me, which became A24’s highest-grossing horror film to date.
In May 2025, they returned with Bring Her Back, a film that is far less fun than their debut feature but far more riveting.
The film centers on two orphaned teenagers who are taken in by a suspicious foster mom and her equally strange foster son.
This weekend, you can finally watch Bring Her Back from the comfort of HBO Max. Watch With Us breaks down why it’s not one to miss.
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‘Bring Her Back’ Is Messed Up in All the Right Ways
The Philippous seem to be fond of taking things to the extreme, if Talk to Me‘s unforgettable bathroom scene involving Mia’s (Sophie Wilde) little brother is any indication of where their directing efforts might go next. It feels like with Bring Her Back, the Philippous wondered to themselves, “What if our next movie was not just fifty times more disturbing but also fifty times more depressing?”
If that was indeed the crux of their direction with Bring Her Back, they certainly succeeded. This is not meant to be a detraction, however; a great downer film is needed now and then, and the Philippous pull off that feat with excellent directorial flair and richly written character drama. In the end, the dismal trajectory of the film manages to be gratifying by just how well it’s all executed.
The Violence Is Genuinely Shocking
In Talk to Me, one of the most pivotal scenes involves a nightmarish incident in which a possessed teenage boy is compelled to attempt suicide. It stands out as a high point in a film that struggles with a bit of plodding character work and overwrought themes. With Bring Her Back, the Philippous seems to have taken to heart any criticism about their use of violence by making a film that is so excessive with its violent imagery that it borders on cruelty. (A scene involving a knife and a mouth will stay in your mind.)
It’s especially provocative because the majority of the violence involves the three lead child actors: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong and Jonah Wren Phillips. The Philippous toe an extremely delicate line, but they do pull it off masterfully. A lot of mainstream horror films tend to pull back when they should go for broke, and it’s nice to watch a horror film that so thoroughly indulges in excess and audience discomfort
It Depicts an Affecting Familial Drama
It’s not all violence and gore with Bring Her Back — even though that certainly accounts for a good chunk of that. The film is an affecting portrait of loss and the different ways that the grieving process manifests. The story follows teenager siblings Piper (Wong) and Andy (Barratt), who have become orphans following the accidental death of their father. They are taken in by the eccentric Laura (Sally Hawkins), who is still grieving the loss of her daughter from many years ago.
Laura is ultimately suffering from something bordering on psychosis in the wake of her own grief, and she uses it to gaslight, abuse and exploit both Piper and Andy, as well as Oliver. In a way that is certainly not easy to watch, the film explores how grief and trauma can turn people into monsters if they simply allow themselves to succumb to the worst aspects of it. Bring Her Back argues that there’s no one right way to grieve, even though the lengths Laura goes to do so are extreme.
The Child Actors Are Fantastic
Child actors can get a bad rap, and that’s because they are often very bad at acting. That’s fine — not every kid can be a Haley Joel Osment in A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and we shouldn’t expect them to be either. (Osment was a once-in-a-lifetime child acting talent.) But the children that the Philippous found for Bring Her Back are not only exceptional young actors, they are also able to bear the sheer weight of the violence that their characters have inflicted upon them.
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That’s not an easy feat, and acting can already be a difficult task for performers who are still learning how to be people before they can really get a good handle on how to be other people. But Barratt, Wong and Phillips are remarkable: Barratt and Wong shoulder their characters’ pain, guilt and resentment with the verve and confidence of seasoned actors, while Phillips expertly embodies the “creepy horror kid” with unnerving aplomb.
Watch Bring Her Back now on HBO Max.
