Bring Her Back: All About the Horror film Dealing with a Mother’s “Unending Cycle of Grief”
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Horror is getting a major resurgence recently thanks to films like Sinners and Final Destination: Bloodlines. Now, one more film will join those ranks soon, and that is Danny and Michael Philippou’s Bring Her Back. They made their feature directing debut with Talk to Me, and now they are back with its spiritual successor.
Trailers are out, and a release date has been set for the horror movie that will follow Sally Hawkins as a mother who can’t get over the loss of her child. With A24 backing the project, fans of the horror genre are hoping that this film will join acclaimed offerings like Heretic, Hereditary, the X trilogy, and Midsommar.
Want to know more about the Bring Her Back movie? Find out everything we know in this article, from the cast list to plot details, and more. Also, with the release date inching near, we will keep updating this page with the latest details as soon as they are released.
Release date and Where to Watch
Bring Her Back will premiere in theaters on Friday, May 30, 2025, in the US and many international markets. It has been rated R for strong disturbing bloody violent content, some grisly images, graphic nudity, underage drinking, and language. The film has a reported runtime of 99 minutes.
What is the Bring Her Back movie About?
The official synopsis from A24 states: “A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.” In Bring Her Back, Sally Hawkins plays Laura, who fosters an orphan (Jonah Wren Phillips) and teen stepsiblings, Andy and Piper (Billy Barratt and Sora Wong).
Laura works as a childcare worker and counselor, but her intentions with these kids aren’t pure. She lost her daughter recently, and as the title of the film says, she wants her back. In an interview with EW, directors Danny and Michael Philippou unpacked the central themes of their film.
Michael said, “It's the idea of not being able to let go and what that can do to someone and having Laura slowly unwind and [lose] her sanity. But the reason why is an understandable one, an understandable villain… It felt like a cycle of abuse — the idea of no character being safe, no matter young, old, main or side, everyone can get it."
Danny further explained and said, “It's someone that you could uncomfortably empathize with. What terrifies us is when you're going through grief or you see family and friends that are going through grief and it looks like they're never going to be okay ever again... An unending cycle of grief that's just endless is terrifying, so that became a through point.”
EW also elaborated on the plot more and stated:
“In trying to deal with her grief, Laura discovers videotapes with rituals to summon an angel — but where there are angels, also look for demons. Young Oliver is merely a pawn in her sad and demented plan, and it's no coincidence that she was quick to take in Piper, who, like Laura's dead daughter Cathy, is also partially sighted.”
However, Cathy’s older protective brother is suspicious of the eccentric woman from the moment they get into her weird, locked home. But he won’t be able to stop what Laura has planned from happening. An entity will take over Oliver’s body, and as per Danny, there are “five or six different stages of Oliver as he is sort of transcending or transforming into this demon.”
Who is in the cast of the Bring Her Back movie?
- Billy Barratt as Andy
- Sally Hawkins as Laura
- Mischa Heywood as Cathy
- Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver
- Sora Wong as Piper
- Kathryn Adams as Anna
- Brian Godfrey as Ivan
- Stephen Phillips as Phil
- Sally-Anne Upton as Wendy
- Brendan Bacon as Anton
- Olga Miller as Macia
- Nicola Tiele as Berta
- Arianny Ross as Kimmy
- Amya Mollison as Samantha
- Ryan Linton Brown as Tari Demon
- Frances Cassar as Katrina
- Asha O'Connell as Naomi
- Keith Warrior as Funeral Guest
- Nathan O'Keefe as Doctor
Is There a Trailer for the Bring Her Back movie?
The first trailer is haunting and creepy. Laura is asked how she coped with her daughter Cathy being gone. To this, she chillingly responds, “I didn’t.” In fact, she has a plan to bring her back with the help of an orphan she has taken in, Oliver. But how will she do something that goes against the laws of nature?
Well, she says that she has communicated with an angel and believes that “the spirit stays in the body for months after death.” The trailer also reveals that she is planning a terrifying ritual, and there is a white substance spread all around her house in a circle. Checkout the trailer below:
The second trailer follows stepsiblings Andy and Piper, the latter of whom is visually challenged. So, Andy becomes her seeing eye and protector. He can sense that there’s something not-quite-right with Laura. Soon, his investigations hint that there’s indeed more than meets the eye with their foster mom and their foster brother, Oliver. Watch the video below:
Check out the first look video below:
Also, check out the prosthetics challenge that the directors did:
Filming and Production Details
Filming for Bring Her Back happened in Adelaide and its surrounding areas in South Australia. One major filming location was apparently Lightsview, a residential suburb. Principal photography began in June 2024 and lasted around 41 days (via 4Filming).
Behind the Scenes
Bring Her Back is written and directed by the brothers, Danny and Michael Philippou. A24 is the distributor in the US, while RackaRacka Studios, Causeway Films, SAFC Studios, and Salmira Productions are the production companies behind it. Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton are the producers of the film.
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