Bring Her Back (2025)

Bring Her Back (2025) is one of the most talked-about Australian horror films of the year, blending psychological horror and supernatural mystery. Directed by brothers Danny and Michael Philippou and starring Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Jonah Wren Phillips and Sora Wong, this English-language feature premiered in late May 2025 and has attracted strong critical attention for its unsettling atmosphere and a powerhouse central performance. 0

Movie Overview

Bring Her Back follows two orphaned step-siblings who are placed in the care of a seemingly warm but deeply disturbed foster mother. As the children settle into her isolated house, secrets, ritual traces and the foster mother’s grief begin to fracture reality — and the siblings discover that the house hides a ritualistic, terrifying truth that ties into the foster mother’s lost child. The film trades jump-scares for a slow, claustrophobic dread and uses intimate, sometimes brutal imagery to explore grief, attachment and the moral collapse that can follow trauma. 1

Attribute Details

Key production and release details are reported across public film databases and major reviews; the Philippou brothers — who gained global attention for Talk to Me — again co-direct, with Sally Hawkins in an unusually dark, central role. 2

Plot (spoiler-sensitive summary)

The story centers on Andy and his half-sister Piper, two young teenagers suddenly orphaned and taken into the home of Laura (Sally Hawkins), their new foster mother. Laura, who lost a daughter in a drowning accident, becomes obsessively attached to Piper — a fragile bond complicated by occult traces around the property and other foster children who have been isolated. As the siblings discover locked rooms, disturbing VHS footage, and strange markings, they piece together a ritualistic history that suggests Laura is trying to reverse loss by any means necessary. The tension escalates into a harrowing confrontation between grief, control and the cost of trying to “bring someone back.” Critics note the film’s slow-burn approach and emphasis on emotional horror rather than supernatural spectacle. 3

Cast & Characters

• Sally Hawkins as Laura — the foster mother whose grief becomes monstrous and controlling. Hawkins’ performance is widely described as the film’s anchor and the most unsettling element. 4
• Billy Barratt as Andy — the older step-sibling, protective but vulnerable to the house’s forces. 5
• Sora Wong as Piper — Laura’s object of fixation; her blindness and fragility intensify the film’s emotional stakes. 6
• Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver (or Ollie) — a child already trapped by the house’s strange dynamics; his presence escalates the uncanny atmosphere. 7
• Mischa Heywood and supporting cast play other foster/placeholding roles that populate the house’s unsettling microcosm. 8

Production Notes

After the international success of Talk to Me (2022), the Philippou brothers reunited with their creative team to deliver a more intimate, emotionally raw horror film. The production leaned into practical effects, tight cinematography and sound design to create an oppressive atmosphere — choices critics say amplify the film’s themes of grief and exploitation of vulnerability. A24 handled distribution, and the film’s festival/limited release schedule in May 2025 transitioned quickly to a broader theatrical and, later, VOD window. 9

Themes & Style

Bring Her Back foregrounds grief, parental replacement and the ethics (and horrors) of trying to reverse loss. Rather than relying on overt jump scares, the Philippous use prolonged discomfort, deranged domesticity and the collapse of caregiving boundaries to unsettle viewers. Reviewers compare its emotional ambition to films like Hereditary — not because it copies that film’s beats, but because it places family trauma at the center of supernatural or ritualistic horror. The film also interrogates how institutions meant to protect children can be corrupted by personal mania. 10

Critical Reception

Critical response to Bring Her Back has been largely positive. Aggregators and major reviewers praised Hawkins’ performance and the Philippous’ heightened control over mood and tone, while noting the film’s intensity and graphic moments may be distressing to many viewers. Rotten Tomatoes shows strong “fresh” ratings from critics, and outlets such as Roger Ebert and The Guardian highlighted the film’s ability to disturb through character and atmosphere rather than cheap shocks. At the same time, some reviewers flagged pacing and narrative ambiguity as minor drawbacks — a trade-off for an experience that prioritizes feeling over tidy explanation. 11

Where to Watch

After its theatrical window with A24 in late May 2025, Bring Her Back moved to digital platforms and VOD; several regional services and digital storefronts offer rental or purchase options, and some regions list the film on Amazon Prime Video VOD. Availability can vary by country — check local theater listings and major digital platforms for the current streaming/rental windows. 12

SEO Tips & Keywords (for site editors)

Suggested SEO keywords and long tails to use in headings and metadata: “Bring Her Back 2025 review”, “Bring Her Back Sally Hawkins”, “Bring Her Back plot explained”, “Philippou brothers new movie 2025”, “Bring Her Back streaming”, “best horror movies 2025”. Use an H1 containing the exact film title + year (already included), H2 subheads for Plot/Reception/Where to Watch, and add structured data (schema.org Movie) on your page for better SERP appearance.

Conclusion

Bring Her Back is a heavy, often harrowing entry in contemporary horror that leans on performance and mood to explore how grief can twist caregiving into possession. For readers who appreciate psychological, character-driven horror — and who are prepared for unsettling imagery — it’s a memorable, talk-provoking film from two directors who are rapidly defining a distinctive auteur voice in genre cinema. 13

References

• IMDb — Bring Her Back (2025). 14
• Wikipedia — Bring Her Back. 15
• Rotten Tomatoes — Bring Her Back (movie page). 16
• RogerEbert.com review of Bring Her Back. 17
• Decider — VOD/streaming notes for Bring Her Back. 18

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