The reviews are in for Bring Her Back, the new film from the directors of 2023 horror hit Talk To Me – check out what they had to say below.
The A24 horror, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, stars Sally Hawkins and Emmy winning child actor Billy Barratt. The synopsis reads: “A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother”.
The film is the first from the duo since Talk To Me, the low budget horror that became a breakout hit in 2023. In a four-star review, NME described it as “a new-school chiller in line with the first two films by Ari Aster or Jordan Peele.
Bring Her Back hits UK cinemas on August 1, but it is out in the US now and the first batch of reviews have hailed the film as a “fleshy” and “grisly” meditation on grief, with review aggregator currently showing an 89 per cent positive consensus from critics.
The Guardian awarded the film four stars, noting that the film “literally left me watching the film through the gaps between my fingers”, adding: “there’s no doubting this film’s art, craft and impact, although I did leave the cinema wondering whether I was a richer person for having experienced it, or in some way irrevocably tarnished.”
The Los Angeles Times also lauded the film’s ability to embrace dark and existential themes, writing: “I’m not sure what happened to the Australian twins Danny and Michael Philippou that explains why their horror movies are swollen with grief. And I don’t need to know. What matters is how expertly, and jarringly, the Philippous show us how grief feels.”
Several reviews hone in on the film’s graphic violence, with the Washington Post saying it is “not the kind of horror movie that promises grue and doesn’t deliver, and when the carnage comes, it is fulsome, fleshy and wet”, while Bloody Disgusting say it “operates on an unwavering and palpable feeling of dread and anguish from start to end”.
Comparing it to the thrills of Talk To Me, the New York Times conclude that Bring Her Back “doubles down on its predecessor’s willingness to punish the innocent. I’m beginning to think that the Philippous don’t just want to shatter our nerves, they want to break out hearts”.
The film’s original trailer dropped back in February, showing Hawkins screaming while a young girl is filmed on camera and the words “Let Her Die” appear on the screen.
The post ‘Talk To Me’ directors’ new horror is getting rave reviews: “You’ll watch from between your fingers” appeared first on NME.