Bring Her Back

A shocking Modern Grief-madness Descent into Ritual Horror

If horror has taught me anything, it’s this: trust your gut in life—never in film. Instinct often misleads us in art, especially when the genre thrives on misdirection.

In 2022, “Talk to Me,” directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, burst onto the scene with global impact.

I was sceptical at first, but it turned out to be a genre-defining work that revitalised a corner of horror many considered dead or dying. So, expectations for their follow-up, “Bring Her Back,” were understandably high—and I’m thrilled to say, they did not disappoint.

This film is a brutal, unrelenting showcase of extreme psychological horror and grotesque ritualistic imagery. It’s deeply unsettling, drenched in a sense of dread that lingers long after the credits roll.

The trailer offered just enough to intrigue without spoiling, and thankfully, I avoided any deeper investigation before watching. Experiencing it more or less blind was an absolute ride.

At its core, “Bring Her Back” is a meditation on grief—how that all-consuming, inevitable emotion can twist a person into unspeakable horror. Sorrow is a well-worn theme, but modern horror keeps dragging it into darker, rawer territory.

Like recent films such as “The Shrouds” and “The Surrender,” “Bring Her Back” explores the parasitic nature of unresolved anguish—how it metastasizes into violence, ritual, and madness. Together, they form a sort of unofficial 2025 (so far) trilogy I’d call Grief Gone Wrong.

Technically, the film is masterfully crafted. The cinematography is oppressively sinister, the sound design unearthly, and the attention to detail—visual, sonic, symbolic—is astounding.

The Philippou brothers clearly poured themselves into this project, and it shows. There’s a rawness here, a sense that the story springs from a deep, personal trauma.

You feel it in every frame, every line of dialogue—yes, even the slightly awkward ones in the final act.

The narrative is straightforward on the surface, but it’s what lies beneath that matters. Clues are embedded in colours, sounds, symbols, natural elements—never spelled out, but always present for those willing to look.

It’s a film that demands (and rewards) repeat viewings.

Even then, I suspect many questions will remain unanswered—and that ambiguity is one of its greatest strengths.

The performances are creepy and eerie enough with a bold and solid emphasis on their characters. The cast (Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Sally Hawkins, Jonah Wren Phillips, Connor Bird, and Stephen Phillips) totally nailed the feelings, the fear and the rage with exceptional performances.

From a horror fan’s perspective, “Bring Her Back” delivers everything I want from contemporary genre cinema. It starts strong with some viscerally uncomfortable scenes and quickly immerses viewers in its decayed, ritualistic world.

I won’t spoil any plot points—it’s best experienced personally—but be warned: the film doesn’t pull punches.

The violence is shocking, especially given the involvement of teenagers. A roughly 30-minute stretch in the middle is a relentless test of nerves, eyes, and emotional stamina, building tension through a slow, burning descent into trauma.

It’s anxiety-inducing, tragic, and cruel in a way that feels all too real.

The film offers just enough to piece its puzzle together. Whether you explore the background mythology before or after watching, it won’t spoil anything—but it will make the experience even more devastating.

This is not a film that tiptoes around its themes. It kicks off with grainy VHS-style footage of a bizarre, grisly cult ritual—bodies strung up by nooses, camcorder footage steeped in analogue decay, evoking the unsettling nostalgia of found footage horror at its most grotesque.

It returns to these images repeatedly, escalating the horror until we’re face-to-face with mutilated corpses and fractured psyches.

Psychological dread and full-blown body horror blend seamlessly in what may well be the most memorable horror film of 2025. There’s a twisted elegance to it—almost a symphonic expression of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

But I’ll leave further theorising to a spoiler-friendly space. For now, I’ll simply say: see it in cinemas once, then rewatch it at home with headphones on.

“Bring Her Back” is a deeply disturbing and exquisitely crafted piece of modern horror, digging deeper into our most cruel and ancient fear, and leaves you with the question:

How far would you go after losing a loved one?