Review: BRING HER BACK Is a Brutal and Devestating Descent into Hell — GeekTyrant
Bring Her Back isn't just another dark horror film, it's a pit of despair with no rope to climb out.
Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, this is a horror experience that doesn't entertain so much as it assaults. From the first uneasy moments to its soul-splintering finale, it drags you by the hand into absolute darkness and never once pretends there's light at the end.
I walked out of this movie feeling devastated and sad, like I needed therapy and a very long shower.
The story centers on a brother and sister who are placed in foster care and move into a remote home, only to discover their new guardian, played with chilling brilliance by Sally Hawkins, is out of her goddamn mind.
She's involved in some seriously evil witchcraft and what unfolds is a nightmare about grief and the horrific cost of trying to undo death as she is going through a twisted process to bring her dead daughter back to life, and what follows is so grotesque and hopeless.
Let's be clear, this movie is well-crafted. The Philippou brothers have a sharp eye and a knack for tension and telling horror stories. This one was seriously suffocating, it was too damn bleak, and unnecessarily soul crushing for me. There are moments that felt mean-spirited and cruel, and it was just just so hard to get through.
Hawkins gives a masterclass performance in quiet, maternal dread. She's terrifying not because she rages, but because she calmly, lovingly leads children into hellish ruin. It's the kind of performance that makes your stomach knot. The film is effective in every technical sense, but that's also what makes it so hard to endure.
There's no humor, no relief, no levity no hope. Nothing to ease the horrific madness of it all. It just gets darker and darker as it drags you deeper and deeper into hell.
The body horror is shocking, but not just because of the visuals. It's the fact that the violence is inflicted on children. One in particular is only ten years old! And not in a cheap shock-value way, this is slow, methodical, and cruel. It doesn't feel like horror for catharsis; it feels like horror for punishment.
Watching Bring Her Back didn't feel like entertainment. It's not that I was scared, it's that it was comeletely devestating.
I've seen countless horror films, and I usually love getting my mind messed with, but this one didn't just mess with me, it made me feel sick. If you've ever lost someone close to you, there are scenes in this film that will gut you in ways you're not prepared for, and once it starts tearing into you, it doesn't stop.
Maybe that's the point. Maybe the movie is meant to be this nihilistic. Maybe it's making a statement about grief, trauma, and how trying to reverse death can make monsters out of the well-meaning.
But just because something is effective doesn't mean it's enjoyable. This is a very well made film. It is also joyless, cruel, and hollow. It's a well-executed punch to the soul that punches you from beginning to end. This movie beat the hell out of me!
I won't call Bring Her Back a bad film. It's not. It's one of the most extreme examinations of loss and suffering I've seen in horror. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know because I want to keep my friends and a movie like this would destroy many of them.
Bring Her Back is a slow burial that is insanely jacked up and there is no redeeming value to the story. If that sounds like your kind of horror, good luck!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
Kevin Smith Is Very Excited About His Idea for ‘Dogma 2'
The 'Clerks,' 'Mallrats,' and 'Red State' director has cracked the idea for the long-awaited sequel. If it feels like you've been hearing about Kevin Smith's Dogma a lot in recent weeks, that's by design. Though the film's 25th anniversary was last year, writer and director Kevin Smith took his time with it, prepping a massive national tour of the film that's been happening for a few months now. It's also being re-released into select theaters starting today. The jewel of that celebration, though, was a screening at the Cannes Film Festival last month and there, Smith spoke about how he's finally got an idea to go back to the world of Mooby's and the Buddy Christ for Dogma 2. 'I cracked the story,' Smith told Deadline. 'I absolutely love it. I feel like when people see it, they'll be like, 'Oh, I get it,' like 'that makes sense' kind of thing. Hopefully they'll be like, 'that's clever' and not be like, 'Well shit, I would have done that.'' Smith, of course, didn't say what his idea was, but did hint that it has a place in it for everyone in the original movie. That, presumably, includes stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, and others. 'I will set a place at the table for everyone who was in the first movie who is still alive,' Smith said. 'Sadly, Alan [Rickman] and George [Carlin] won't be able to join us, but I'll set a place at the table for all of them. If they want to come back, they'll have a role to play, but if not, no harm, no foul. The story I'm telling can definitely make use of everybody who is in Dogma, but I can also tell it without. So, that makes me pretty excited to go forward. It's its own unique tale.' Though Smith's career has shifted in recent years, with a focus on smaller, weirder movies like Tusk, Yoga Hosers, and The 4:30 Movie, he knows that if he does decide to make a Dogma sequel, he can't do so lightly. 'It's like one of the last fucking movies I ever made that's beloved across the boards and shit like that,' he said. 'I would never step up to the plate unless I was like, 'Oh, this will fucking work nicely as a companion piece.' So, I feel pretty great about it, man. But of course during the whimsy stage one always feels great about it. It's when you make it and everyone sees it and they're like, 'Well, that fucking sucks. You should have left well enough alone.' You just hope it doesn't come to that.' Finally, Smith's ultimate ambition with Dogma 2 would be to debut it at Cannes, where he debuted the original in 1999 and where he screened it again in 2025 to a very enthusiastic crowd. ''Why is it that you assume that the Cannes-worthy portion of your life is over?'' Smith asked himself. ''You never even expected it to begin in the first place. It was never part of the aim. It just came along with the journey. Maybe if you really try, you could.' So, it was the 78th edition this year and so I was like, 'You know what? I wanna come back on the 80th, or the 81st at the latest with the Dogma sequel, like that's a Cannes-worthy movie.' And so, I said that on stage when I was intro-ing and everybody applauded, and [festival director] Thierry Frémaux was on stage with me, and he adds, 'If it is good,' and I was like, 'Fair enough, if it's good, yes.'' Can Smith turn that idea into a script and get it funded? He's done it in recent years with Jay and Silent Bob as well as Clerks. So, as the stars of Dogma might say, you've just got to have faith. Head over to Deadline to read much, much more from Smith about Dogma, Cannes, and more. And check out Dogma in theaters now.
Vogue
2 hours ago
- Vogue
17 Thoughts I Had About the First Kiss of the Spider Woman Trailer, Starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna
I'm something of a freak for musicals even when they don't star Jennifer Lopez, so you can imagine how I feel about Bill Condon's upcoming big-screen adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Set in a prison during Argentina's Dirty War, the film, which had its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, features none other than as a fatally beautiful screen actress (what a stretch!), and it's due out in theaters this fall. Watch the first teaser trailer for yourself below, then find (literally) every thought I had about it below.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
‘Duck Dynasty' star Miss Kay's health declines following husband Phil Robertson's death
Miss Kay Robertson, the beloved matriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" clan, is facing a difficult chapter marked by grief and declining health. "Kay is not in the best of health," her son Willie told USA TODAY Network. "We're trying to help her out as much as we can." The 77-year-old was noticeably absent from the "Duck Dynasty: The Revival" premiere party on June 1, hosted in Monroe, Louisiana. The news of Robertson's declining health comes after she endured the tragic loss of her husband. Phil Robertson died on May 25 after suffering from Alzheimer's. He was 79. "Some of it is, she is just depressed," Willie remarked. "She lost her partner of 60 years." Her son continued to share that Kay made appearances in early episodes of the "Duck Dynasty" reboot. However, her declining health prevented her from filming and being featured in later episodes. Kay's health issues first came to light in April, when her son Jase Robertson shared on the podcast "Unashamed with the Robertson Family" that she had suffered a fall and developed an infection that required hospitalization. Jase said, "We were kind of dealing with the fact that maybe this is it." Reps for the Robertsons did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. "My mom is not doing great physically," Jase said on the family podcast back in April. "She has to have pretty much 24/7 professional healthcare." Phil, at the time, said that their children's presence was helping her. "But my dad [said] it's like, 'You're helping her morale.' She's helping his morale." While their mother spent time in a health facility, Jase explained that family and friends had been visiting, with Kay's visitors dubbed "Kay's Kingdom." Last month, Willie remembered his late father through faith and their final moments together. Willie, who starred in the hit A&E reality series for five years, from 2012 to 2017, took to social media to mourn the loss of his legendary father following his death. "I remember Phil's many prayers on Memorial Day and all the times with my dad. I don't have enough words to tell of all of it, perhaps it will take months or years of remembering," he wrote in part on Instagram. "Most importantly, he taught me the value of sharing my faith with others. He was the Real Deal, the same on Sundays as Fridays. Most of our conversations were not about hunting or business, but about sharing the Gospel." Phil, famous for launching the Duck Commander hunting company that became the focus of his A&E show, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in December 2024. His son concluded his heartfelt tribute and wrote, "Phil, I love you and already miss you. Thank you for raising me the right way and teaching me the most important lesson to prepare me for the day you passed on. Not sure how people deal with loss without the Lord. We may be wrong about all this….but I doubt it! Sleep well Dad, can't wait to see you." A&E announced earlier this year that the hit show would be revived eight years after it aired its final episode. "Duck Dynasty: The Revival" focuses on Willie; his wife; their adult children, John Luke, Sadie, Will, Bella and Rebecca; and their grandchildren, according to a synopsis. The original "Duck Dynasty" aired for 11 seasons from 2012-17. Per A&E, the show peaked at 11.8 million viewers.
