Grief in horror isn’t new, but rarely has it been explored with such brutal intimacy.
“Grief, when it comes, is nothing we expect it to be.” That famous line from Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking could just as easily serve as the thesis of Bring Her Back, the latest offering from A24 and the directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me).
Grief in horror isn’t new, but rarely has it been explored with such brutal intimacy. In the tradition of Hereditary and Midsommar, Bring Her Back is a harrowing meditation on loss, delusion, and the razor-thin line between love and possession. Drenched in dread and executed with restraint, it crawls under your skin and lingers long after the credits roll.
A slow burn fueled by emotion
Set in a fog-shrouded countryside home, the film follows siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), recently orphaned after their father’s sudden death. They’re placed under the care of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a woman whose gentle exterior masks a grief-ravaged soul. Years earlier, Laura lost her blind daughter. When Piper—also blind—enters her life, coincidence quickly curdles into obsession.
The result is a psychological horror that morphs into something darker, more ritualistic, and far more unsettling.
Unlike conventional horror films that rely on jump scares and gore, Bring Her Back thrives on atmosphere. The Philippou brothers wield stillness, silence, and tightly composed frames to build dread. This is slow, suffocating horror—driven by emotion rather than spectacle. Laura’s grief is so overwhelming, it feels like a third presence in the room, clouding every interaction with menace.
The cinematography leans into stark minimalism. Bleached lighting, shallow depth of field, and blurred perspectives often place us in Piper’s world—visually and emotionally. When violence does erupt, it’s jarring and visceral, all the more potent because of the patience with which it’s earned.
Sally Hawkins: Unhinged and unforgettable
At the film’s core is a career-defining performance from Sally Hawkins. Known for her tender roles in The Shape of Water and Paddington, Hawkins delivers a gutting portrayal of maternal grief warped into obsession. Her Laura is both heartbreaking and horrifying—not just mourning her daughter, but desperately trying to recreate her, no matter the moral or physical cost.
Hawkins toggles between maternal warmth and chilling unpredictability with disturbing ease. Her performance is rooted in psychological realism, making Laura’s descent into madness all the more believable—and all the more terrifying.
Billy Barratt lends emotional grounding as Andy, the protective older brother. His slow realization of Laura’s true intentions mirrors the audience’s journey, serving as the film’s moral compass. Meanwhile, Sora Wong—who is blind in real life—makes a stunning acting debut as Piper. Her quiet, deeply felt performance brings authenticity and nuance, heightening the film’s themes of vulnerability, exploitation, and identity.
The horror of recreation
Bring Her Back teases the supernatural—a cryptic VHS tape, eerie rituals, whispers of the occult—but keeps its feet planted in the real horror of human obsession. Like The Babadook or Hereditary, it draws power not from ghosts or monsters, but from the refusal to let go.
In its final act, the film shifts into more overt physical horror, which may alienate viewers expecting a purely psychological experience. And while some moments verge on the symbolically heavy-handed, the emotional core never falters. The closing scenes are gut-wrenching—not for what they show, but for what they suggest about our need to feel whole, even at the cost of others.
Final verdict
Bring Her Back is not an easy watch. It’s emotionally punishing, psychologically disturbing, and viscerally unsettling. But it’s also exquisitely crafted, thematically resonant, and anchored by an unforgettable performance from Sally Hawkins.
A24 once again proves itself a champion of elevated, boundary-pushing horror. For fans of cerebral, emotionally charged horror, Bring Her Back is essential viewing.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
