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

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Introduction

Practical effects reign supreme! Bring Her Back brings back old school gore effects perfectly blending it with precise and crisp sounds. Definitely a contender for best horror in 2025. Directed by the Philippou brothers (Talk to Me).

“In the supernatural horror film Bring Her Back, teenage Andy and his partially-sighted stepsister Piper are sent to live with Laura after their father’s death, but soon discover Laura’s intention to use Piper in a dangerous occult ritual to resurrect her own deceased daughter. Under the guise of grief-stricken affection, Laura manipulates and isolates Andy, while the mute foster son Oliver also displays disturbing behavior. The film explores themes of loss and trauma, culminating in a ritual where Laura attempts a horrifying swap, but Piper’s bond with Andy ultimately disrupts the process.”

Characters

Sora Wong (as Piper) was phenomenal, she brought that vulnerability, and with her condition (real life condition), everyone knows she’ll be a target in the movie. But despite it, she performed well and added that hopelessness on her part because of how she is. Kudos to Sora Wong, granted she had zero experience acting professionally.

Sally Hawkins (as Laura) delivered. As the widowed grieving mother of Cathy, she was desperate to see, hear, and feel her deceased daughter once again, and would do anything to achieve it. The way she speaks was warm yet there’s this unnerving feeling that there’s something sinister behind her actions. Very well played.

Jonah Wren Phillips (as Oliver) probably one of the best performances coming from a 12 year old actor I’ve ever seen. Comparing Phillips to Eli‘s Charlie Shotwell, its an unfair comparison as Phillips would definitely wreak Shotwell. On the gore scenes as well, Phillips really brought his A game.

Cultish Concept

Bring Her Back is not your usual cult group performing a sacrificial ritual, this one takes it on a whole different level, by different level I mean doing it D.I.Y. style.

You know the times when you’re trying to build something and your only instruction is a YouTube video? This is exactly what that’s like, only its about k1lling a minor and putting in a different soul. The process was messy, yet that mess was I’d say made this film stand out.

Practical Effect Goodness

Aside from an outstanding performance from Jonah Wrenn Phillips, another thing I would applaud Bring Her Back for was its use of practical effects. The gore scenes were skin crawling and at times I couldn’t help but veer away from the screen, but it was oh so good that I made sure to keep my eyes wide open for every bit of it.

A Perfect Blend of Supernatural and Gore horror

Bring Her Back made a perfect marriage between Supernatural horror and Gore-based horror. They sure made it work! And compared to their first hit “Talk to Me”, this was way more graphic and I loved it.

Conclusion

The Philippou brothers made the world know that “Talk to Me” wasn’t a fluke. Music and Cinematography were on point as well and added that deathly dread that fits like a glove with the tone of the film. Because of the success “Bring Her Back” had, anything coming from them would be under my radar. Definitely on my top 10 for 2025 horror films.