Ronit J

Bring Her Back (2025) Synopsis:

A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

Bring Her Back (2025) Review:

In recent years, I’ve come to appreciate the horror genre much more than I used to when I was younger. Supernatural horror that has religious angles to it remains a big no for me. However, supernatural horror that uses supernatural elements in interesting ways is something I love to see.

Talk to Me (2022) blended youth culture brilliantly with the hand that summoned spirits. With my expectations set accordingly, I was looking forward to watching Bring Her Back. The trailer did look horrifying, and I kind of knew what I was getting into. But, did the film live up to my expectations?

Bring Her Back opens with step siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong). Andy is a troubled 17-year-old, while Piper is visually challenged. Despite their individual struggles, they have a very sweet and endearing bond. Everything goes south when they discover their father, Phil (Stephen Phillips) dead in the shower. Since they’re underage, they must now live with a foster mother named Laura (Sally Hawkins). When they arrive at her place, however, they start to notice that not everything is as it seems.

Trauma, Grief, and Other Staples of the Horror Genre

From Midsommar (2019), to even The Monkey (2025), the horror genre often explores darker themes of grief and trauma in an attempt to rationalise human behaviour and psyche. With the way the Phillipou twins explored grief in Talk to Me, I was excited to see what new treatment they use in Bring Her Back.

To be fair, the trauma in Bring Her Back is multilayered and multifaceted. Andy has a strained relationship with his family. Phil is his real father, but Andy doesn’t love him the same. Piper is his step sister, but Andy’s love and protective nature for her is insurmountable. On the other hand, abuse and trauma too play a role in this complex relationship, where Andy has been on both ends of the abuse, leading him to be as troubled as he is.

And then there’s Piper, a visually impaired girl who has already suffered the loss of her mother, and now must cope with the loss of her father. Her stepbrother’s inability to express his grief causes a strain in their relationship, which their foster mother, Laura, uses to her advantage. Emotionally troubled individuals are at risk of emotional abuse, gaslighting, and more, and Bring Her Back explores these darker themes with frustrating finesse.

I wanted to punch Laura for what she was doing, because it’s very evident. But, not to the teens. Not very overtly. But, Laura herself is grieving, isn’t she? While the teens are trying to process their loss in healthy, natural ways, Laura has already succumbed to dark, unhealthy coping mechanisms that border criminal activities.

Bring Her Back presents a complex web of trauma and grief that pushes its characters to act and react in destructive ways that makes up for a horrifying experience.

A Little Too Generic, A Little Too Predictable

I’ve spoken of the good. Now for the bad. And honestly… there isn’t any. Unless, you’re like me who’s easily bored of generic stuff. In that case, yes. There’s some bad.

The grief—despite the good cinematic treatment which really does build tension and frustration—feels a tad too generic. Laura’s scheme is pretty clear right from the start, and the film does little to stray from the familiar. Therefore, the surprise almost doesn’t exist, leaving you feeling underwhelmed by the reveals. There was nothing new as such, which is a shame because I was expecting something more innovative.

In addition to that, I did honestly feel like the conflicts, while compelling, were too predictable. Their predictability made them lose their impact. The lack of pushing boundaries in this film did end up dampening my enjoyment. I almost zoned out of it. Maybe because I couldn’t connect to the characters, who weren’t much outside of grieving orphans. Compare that to Talk to Me, and the characters feel like they have an entire life outside the boundaries of the film’s narrative. The same didn’t feel true with Bring Her Back.

And lastly, I did like the strange Russian Cult and their ritual to trap spirits in bodies, but the concept wasn’t explored too neatly. I get that you want to keep a mysterious air around it, but I genuinely feel like it worked against the film in this case. There could have been a treasure trove of ritualistic absurdity and off-putting elements that the film could’ve thrown our way. Alas, it kept the interesting parts shrouded in mystery, leaving us with a relatively generic horror plot.

Bring Her Back (2025) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

Laura sprays Andy’s perfume on herself and punches Piper, giving her a black eye. Laura then blames Andy revealing how he was abusive to Piper when she was young, just like their father was abusive towards Andy. An altercation occurs, and Laura takes Piper away.

Andy goes to the foster care agency and tells Wendy about everything. He also finds a ‘Missing’ poster for Connor Bird, who turns out to be Ollie. Wendy decides to investigate. Laura, meanwhile, comes back home to find Ollie’s condition worsening. Tari (the spirit possessing him) has grown destructive and trashed the house. Laura intercepts a voice mail from Andy, and manages to clean up just before Wendy arrives. Yet, Wendy finds Ollie feasting on Cathy’s corpse. She attempts to escape with Andy, but Laura runs them over. Wendy dies in the crash, and Laura drowns Andy in a puddle.

Laura then brings Piper back home. Ollie, having eaten Andy’s flesh, talks to Piper, which prompts her to lock herself in the bathroom. There she discovers Andy’s corpse. Upon confrontation, Laura reveals that she requested to foster Piper because she’s just like Cathy, and that she needs to drown like Cathy for her spirit to come back. She just wants to Bring Her Back (sorry).

Piper manages to escape, and is rescued by a passing couple. Ollie, despite seeing the salt line, crosses it, resulting in Tari leaving his body. Laura, realising her plan is foiled, retrieves Cathy’s corpse and cuddles it in the pool as the police arrive to investigate the scene. Piper listens to Andy’s last voice mail to her. The police recognise Ollie/Connor and proceed to call for medical aid. They also discover Laura, her ultimate fate left unclear.

Is Bring Her Back (2025) worth watching?

Yes. Just don’t go in expecting the brilliancy of the Phillipou twins’ debut. If I didn’t have those high expectations, I might have enjoyed Bring Her Back a little more than I did.

All my complaints stand, but so do all my praises.

In Conclusion:

Bring Her Back (2025) is a brutally haunting film that’s a little too predictable and generic to be a masterpiece. Despite that, it has many powerful moments to make it worth a watch.

Also check out:

• Good Boy (2025) | Film Review
• Before You Go Extinct | Manga Review
• 28 Years Later (2025)
• Nobody 2 (2025) | Film Review
• Weapons (2025) | Film Review
• The Handmaiden (2016) | Film Review
• The Monkey (2025) | Film Review
• Island of the Dying Goddess

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