Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Writers: Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Ann Upton, Mischa Heywood, Stephen Phillips

When people think of countries that produce the best horror, Australia likely isn’t near the top of the list, perhaps not even in the top ten. However, we shouldn’t underestimate our down-under brethren, especially if more recent productions are anything to go by (think The Babadook for more recent or Braindead/Dead Alive going further back). Now, we have the Aussie brother duo of Danny and Michael Philippou giving us some pretty damn decent horror. They were the brains behind 2022’s hit horror Talk to Me (with a sequel coming soon), and Bring Her Back is their much-anticipated follow-up. Have the Philippou brothers managed to give us something just as gruesome and shocking, or should we be asking them to take her back?

17-year-old Andy (Barratt) and his younger stepsister Piper (Wong) are newly orphaned after the unexpected death of Andy’s dad. They are sent to live with Laura (Hawkins), a rather eccentric foster parent, until Andy turns 18 and can take guardianship of Piper. They meet Laura’s other foster son, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), who is mute, and she tells them about her deceased daughter, Cathy (Heywood). Laura takes a particular liking to Piper because, just like Cathy, Piper is visually impaired, but she’s not so keen on Andy. As Andy and Piper become better acquainted with Laura, Andy becomes suspicious of her intentions, and it will take a lot to convince Piper that Laura is not who she appears to be.

While the premise may not be all that original, the execution boasts a lot of uniqueness and a clear understanding of the horror genre, something the Philippous have already proven with Talk to Me despite that kind of talent often being a one-off. The film is paced exceptionally well, with a decent build-up of events that start off small and grow into more shocking occurrences, and as it grows it becomes easier to feel Andy’s frustration as Laura’s clever ability to manipulate and pull the wool over people’s eyes becomes that much sneakier, turning much of the horror in a psychological nightmare. There are a handful of incidences that are unexpected and therefore a genuine shock, something that is not easy to achieve in any genre.

The VFX are top notch, almost vomit-inducing at times. The make-up department did a fantastic job, particularly with prosthetics, and the costuming says so much about Laura’s state of mind, weaving its own narrative in tandem with the plot. The set design of Laura’s house is at once charming and inviting but also betrays its own nefarious secrets, with clashing colours and a strangely dated feel to it. The way in which most of the story is set against stormy weather is quite typical of a film with horror attributes, so it comes across as unoriginal, however it is blended with a plot point well enough to give it some meaning rather than being just another stereotypical addition. It’s clear to see that much of the overall production design was planned to coincide with aspects of the story and characters, but you don’t need to focus too hard to put two and two together.

Much of this film’s success comes from the performances. Hawkins proves her versatility (if she hadn’t already done so) by losing herself completely in Laura, never for a second letting us believe Laura is anything but sinister and full of ulterior motives. Barratt draws us in as Andy, keeping us on his side at all times and making us want to yell at the screen when he is dismissed by other characters. Although Piper’s visual impairment is an integral part of the story, the inclusion is a great way to encourage diversity, and Wong’s performance never leaves us pitying Piper, but rather seeing her as we would any other character. Jonah Wren Phillips’s performance outshines them all. It would not be too far to say he is up there with other young horror performers (the likes of Linda Blair in The Exorcist or Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense, for example), with everything he had to go through to impart what Oliver suffers.

Thus far, Danny and Michael Philippou are really doing something for Australian horror. Their films (although limited) are unique enough to be genuinely terrifying yet include enough typical tropes to make them Hollywood-worthy, a balance that is not easy for non-American filmmakers to strike (or any filmmakers, for that matter). Bring Her Back is a solid successor to Talk to Me, and I for one wait with bated breath for their next project (past Talk to Me 2).