Summer has what will surely be its scariest and most disturbing film experience in Bring Her Back, the best horror film from start to finish since Ari Aster’s Hereditary in 2018.
Holy shit, this film got me. Holy, holy shit. I cried a bit during parts of this movie, because I was freaked out so goddamned much. I’m pretty sure that’s never happened before. I mean, real-life horror has freaked me out enough to get me teared up (like, for example, the last seven months), but it’s never happened before in a movie theater.
When Andy and Piper (Billy Barratt and Sora Wong) lose their dad under mysterious circumstances, they wind up with a new foster mom, Laura (Sally Hawkins). While she is quite jovial, her stuffed dog and probing questions indicate that she is more than just a little bit … off. In fact, she’s full-blown crackers, and she has a VHS collection to prove it.
On those tapes: mysterious rituals depicting zombie-like folks hanging from the ceiling and, oh god, I’m not going to tell you, but MAN this movie is freaky. Why is Laura watching these things? Well, she might be practicing and training for something that will involve … I’m not going to tell you, but trust me: It’s squirm city.
Laura has another child in the house named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). Oliver has been mute due to trauma since Cathy, Laura’s daughter, died by drowning. He’s also a bit on the violent side. If he gets the family cat in his hands, he’s unkind—and he’s prone to biting things. Many, many things—including things that shouldn’t be bitten. Much praise to Phillips for what he brings to this mostly silent role. He’s a talented kid.
The madness that ensues is not scary in the traditional sense, where there are a bunch of jump scares and chase scenes. It’s claustrophobic, disturbing, creepy and mysterious in an unholy way, to the point where I was so unsettled, and so uncomfortable, that I just have to say, “Oh, hell yeah!” to directors Danny and Michael Philippou, makers of the horror hit Talk to Me. They are master filmmakers.
Is this better than Talk to Me? Yes, it is. Should you see it? Honestly, I don’t know. I am giving it the highest of ratings, because, damn, it set out to do something, and it did it in an artistic way where I was riveted for the entire running time. It’s a masterpiece, but it’s a masterpiece in misery.
I not only admire the artistry, but when something freaks me out to this degree, I’m the sort of weirdo who marks it as a good time. I couldn’t argue if somebody who saw Bring Her Back called it the worst and most miserable moviegoing experience of their life. To each their own.
In addition to being freaky, the film is, somehow, a moving and effective meditation on grief and loss amidst the gore and terror. It’s also a good argument to keep disturbed kids away from wooden shelves.
Sally Hawkins is an all-time-great movie monster/psycho. She’s right up there with King Kong, Jack Torrance, Annie Wilkes and Norman Bates. This movie wouldn’t be half of what it is without her. Barratt and Wong are heartbreaking; their sibling bond is believable, and seeing them go through this is monumentally sad. Much credit to all the performers in this movie. They surely got put through the wringer.
Seriously: I’ve never before felt how I felt while watching Bring Her Back. I can’t say I ever want to feel that way again—but “Bravo!” for getting me there.
