The directors of Talk To Me (2023) avoid the sophomore slump by crafting a compelling narrative full of grieving children and a haunting Sally Hawkins.
One of the best scenes in 2023’s breakout horror film Talk to Me was the “Le Monde” séance, where teenagers experimented with drugs while allowing spirits to possess them through temporary contact with an embalmed hand. Despite knowing the harmful effects of what can happen if the spirits stay inside for too long, the characters use the hand to abandon, documenting everything through social media. It isn’t until the spirit of the main character’s dead mother appears that the movie reveals that the true monster is not just the spirits, but grief itself.
While Bring Her Back (2025) does fall short of the youthful energy of Talk To Me, one category it does not fail in is in its difficult depiction of grief. The film concerns two step-siblings, Andy and Piper, who are sent to live with the quirky foster mom Laura after the death of their father. Andy and Piper have very different versions of their father, which is made even more apparent after each has different reactions towards Laura. While Piper is ready to move on and accept Laura, Andy suspects something is up with their new caretaker. As fun and loving as Laura appears to be, it’s clear something more sinister lies beneath the surface. It doesn’t help that Laura’s other foster kid, Ollie, exhibits strange behavior that leaves Andy on edge.
One of the strengths in this film is its depiction of grief as an all-consuming entity, worse than the demonic rituals the film portrays in excruciating detail. Circles play a crucial role in this film, encapsulating how grief can lead you down a destructive path that will only bring you more pain if left unproperly acknowledged. For Andy and Piper, the recent death of their father reveals a wide chasm in their relationship. When Laura enters the picture, she seems like the perfect glue to bring these siblings back into harmony of some kind. But she too is also grieving. There is the potential for a loving cohesive unit, but the lingering shadows of the past envelope these characters in conflicting versions of who they want to be versus what they could have again. When demonic rituals enter the equation, all kinds of horror await.
Sally Hawkins is by far one of the best parts of the film. Playing a grieving foster mom who is embroiled in horrific plans means striking a tricky balance between the mundane and the supernatural, and Hawkins plays both sides perfectly. In one scene, she is an exciting opportunity for reinvention and healing. In another, she is hollow-eyed with determination, removed of all humanity. Jonah Wren Phillips is an excellent addition to the cast as well, portraying Ollie’s terrifying transformation extremely well as his body contorts and consumes. Some of the scenes involving Ollie were so horrifying it almost made me nauseous. You’d never look at your own arm the same way again after watching this movie.
There were certain parts of the film that could have been improved upon. Some of the scenes involving the inadequacy of the social workers and the care system in general felt a bit distracting towards the overall plot. The ending might also read as a bit frustrating towards people who came off the certainty of Talk to Me‘s conclusion. Nevertheless, Michael and Danny Phillipou proved that a second feature film does not mean it won’t do as well as their first. In fact, I would say this is another notch in their cinematic belt. By doubling down on what made Talk to Me so great, Bring Her Back cements their reputation as one of horror’s most innovative directors.
BEYOND THE FRAME 
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