Substitution - Bring Her Back

From the very first scenes, the film sets a heavy unsettling tone. From the beginning, the story doesn't really try to hide much I think you kind of understand where it's going early on. It's not particularly scary in the traditional sense, but it really messes with your nerves, and that's where the movie puts all its power.

It never really lands anywhere specific though...By the time the credits roll, you're left thinking, "All that... for nothing?". Not because it was a bad film, but because it left you with an emotional emptiness. It lingers in a sad, slightly disappointing way not from poor storytelling, but from how little it seemed to leave behind.

Bring Her Back" is the second feature film and horror movie made by the Philippou brothers. After their recent hit Talk to Me really blew me away with expert filmmaking, storytelling, hidden details, and strong characterization, I was excited to see their new movie and whether they could repeat that success. In this film, we follow a brother and his stepsister who are sent to live with a foster mother after their father dies. However, something strange is going on, and with the brother's troubled past and the sister's limited vision, their investigation into what is happening in their new home becomes increasingly difficult.

I can confidently say that the Philippou brothers did not create a one hit wonder with their debut film because Bring Her Back is an amazing cinematic experience filled with visceral bloody carnage and emotional depth. The movie has a tense atmosphere and some genuinely suspenseful moments that manage to scare without relying on cheap jump scares or tired genre tropes.

Even for someone like me who has rated over 3,000 horror films on IMDb, this movie was able to surprise me in several ways. While it becomes clear fairly early where the story is heading, it never felt boring or too predictable. The film features excellent cinematography and strong performances from the entire cast. The characters are interesting and multi-dimensional, and although the themes of trauma and grief are common in the genre, the Philippou brothers introduce them in a fresh and compelling way. "Enjoyable" might not be the right word given the dark themes and brutal violence, but the film does not shy away from showing the horrifying things that can be done to the human body.

One thing that could have enhanced the experience even further would have been more background information. The movie opens with found footage of a ritual, and I would have loved to learn more about the backstory behind how everything came to be.

Even though supernatural horror is not my favorite subgenre because it is filled with lazy films and generic scripts, Bring Her Back managed to both entertain and scare. It is a memorable addition to the genre and has me genuinely excited to see what Danny and Michael do next. I am especially happy for them since I have followed them since their chaotic YouTube days as "RackaRacka," and now they are creating well crafted and horrifying films for the big screen. [6.9/10]

I loved the acting , specially of Sally. Between moments you'd feel like you'd wanna punch her ,that's how good her acting is. Jonah tries his best for some sprinkle of horror, everytime he's on screen, he'd make sure you feel uncomfortable. Loved this movie for particularly the characters. The brother sister love is all over the movie.

It's not particularly horror, it's dark and depressing along with some gore elements sprinkled on top. Wait for the first half an hour for the character development and it takes off and never feels like a drag. No jump scare, wonderfully shot and the background score beautifully compliments the gore nature.

I'd recommend this movie wholeheartedly to everyone and would rate it a solid 8/10.

I'm not one to usually write reviews, but after catching an advanced screening of the Philippou brothers new entry into the horror genre, I just had to praise what I witnessed.

First off, this film is definitely not for the faint hearted, nor is it a horror film to particularly get enjoyment out of. It's bleak, extremely visceral, unrelenting and really emotionally devastating ... but in the best ways horror can be!

As soon as the movie starts revealing its evil side, it takes hold of you and doesn't let go.

All the actors portrayed their characters with emotional and realistic excellence, but Sally Hawkins was just unmatched. It's hard to really describe her performance without getting into spoiler territory, but she couldn't have done a better job at being so unnerving & emotionally powerful, both at the same time.

The cinematography was incredible, with heaps of little foreshadowing details sprinkled throughout the film. So many of the shots were precisely made to convey & ooze that feeling of uneasiness/dread, which just adds that extra layer to the film's atmosphere.

Speaking of the atmosphere, the Philippou brothers sure know how to pack a punch with their direction. While there is still a deeply emotional and brutal story at play here, the brothers don't mind having loose ends here and there & instead, they are more after that gut-wrenching, stomach-churning horror experience as a whole.

That brings me to the practical effects... Somehow, this film got a classification of only MA15+ in Australia, and that just baffles me in the best way possible.

After 'Talk To Me', I was expecting some pretty skin-crawling gore & practical effects, but boy oh boy, I wasn't expecting this.

This film just ramps up the violence on every level and is done so in a way that will have even the hardcore horror fans wincing, incredible stuff!

In all, this movie makes their debut film 'Talk To Me' come across as a fun horror movie to watch after 'Bring Her Back', just to wind down.

It's a slow burn descent into hell & by the end of the film, actually ends up being one of the more depressingly sad/emotional horror films I've seen in some time.

It will make you feel sick, sad & terrified, all at the same time.

Well done RackaRacka !

After the success of "Talk To Me," Danny and Michael Philippou teamed up again to make "Bring Her Back." This movie had a lot of buzz when it came out, but I never got around to seeing it until recently. Starring Billy Barratt, Sally Hawkins, and Sora Wong, this movie is about a pair of siblings moving to a foster home after their dad died. However, some things don't seem to be normal at their new home.

It is a type of movie that I suggest going into blind, so you can get the best experience. It is a story that has been seen before, but it's done in a unique way. Horror this year has been giving us a lot of good original stories. The gore and effects were disturbing and gnarly. The effects seemed practical, but if they weren't, the CGI was great. I found the characters to be interesting and well-acted. Sora Wong is actually visually impaired in real life, but she was able to emote and connect to the scene really well. There were many tense situations due to her character's condition. Billy Barratt was a strong protagonist who had a compelling character arc mostly. Sally Hawkins was the standout, however. Her character had a different mask for each character she interacted with.

From the beginning of the movie, there were rules set about certain things. The movie follows those rules loosely, especially in the third act, but it was never explained why these rules existed. There was a lot of ambiguity involved that allowed the movie to go where it did. The third act also seemed to fizzle out. I was let down by how weakly the movie ended. We never got a satisfying ending to the stories of multiple characters, but this is also due to how poorly they handled one of the main characters toward the end. There was a setup that they never capitalized on. It is almost like the studio said there had to be some positivity in this movie, so they threw it in at the very end.

Overall, "Bring Her Back" was a decent movie exploring grief. The gore and horror elements were very good, but the film dragged on in what should have been a simple ending. I would only recommend this to horror fans.