Twin directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou stunned horror fans with the release of their feature debut Talk To Me back in 2022, a brutal and masterful gaze at death, familial trauma, and friendship through the lens of possession. It made more than 20 times its budget at the box office, cementing the RackaRacka brothers as ones to be watched in the genre world. Talk To Me is a tough act to follow, but the pair's second feature film, Bring Her Back, is a gruelling and terrifying exploration of grief that will leave you speechless.

Following the sudden death of their father, Andy (Billy Barratt) and his younger sister Piper (Sora Wong) are faced with the prospect of being split up in the care system. Desperate to look after his blind and vulnerable sibling, Andy begs case worker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton) to ask their potential foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins), if she will take them both in. She agrees, and the siblings move to her remote country home where she lives with foster son Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), who is selectively mute after the death of Laura's daughter, Cathy (Mischa Heywood). Laura is immediately welcoming to Piper, but as her behaviour becomes increasingly hostile toward Andy, and he begins to notice unusual occurrences surrounding Oliver, his suspicions about the foster mother's intentions grow.

Bring Her Back is a film that will seep into your psyche, sticking with you long after the credits roll. Sadness weeps through every inch of each scene, from Piper and Andy watching an airplane soar through the sky, to Laura yearning to be called mum just one more time. But so too does hope, and laughter, and it is in that that the Philippou's once again offer a nuanced portrayal of the surreal aftermath of death, in which we can often feel like we are walking through glue while the world carries on around us. This sense of altered reality is present throughout the film, from swirling cameras to blurring effects and muffled sounds that place us in the shoes of Andy and Laura, respectively, both grappling with grief and the lengths the pain of death drives them to.

The Philippou's mastery in creating tension is on full display, with much of the terror of Bring Her Back not coming from the bizarre ritual Laura is trying to enact, but from her abusive and manipulative behaviour towards Piper and Andy that draws stark attention to how the systems meant to protect the most vulnerable in our society can be exploited by those with sinister motives. Like Talk To Me, the directors offer little threads throughout the narrative that all tie together by the devastating final act to weave a heartbreaking tapestry designed to hollow out even the most hardy of viewers

Bring Her Back's emotional tug is anchored by its performances, all of which mark career bests for the ensemble cast. Sally Hawkins is captivatingly terrifying as Laura, driven to extreme lengths by the devotion she holds for her daughter. Billy Barratt is magnificent as Andy, while Sora Wong and Jonah Wren Phillips command the screen in the roles of Piper and Oliver. The Philippous struck gold with this cast, whose chemistry effortlessly brings to life this dysfunctional family heading towards certain disaster.

Achingly beautiful, tear-jerking, and horrifying in equal measure, Bring Her Back is a triumph for the Philippou brothers and their cast and crew. After releasing just two films, they have secured their status as horror greats, releasing work that is consistently challenging, thought-provoking, and a testament to their passion for filmmaking. Grapefruit.