“Yeah, let me get a…A24 horror movie.”

“How original.”

“And with a plot that’s a metaphor for grief.”

“Daring today, aren’t we?”

I kid, but you gotta admit, it feels like we’ve gotten a boat load of horror films like this for years now. Hereditary, Lamb, Midsommar and Talk to Me are just a few out of the very long list of films that fit this criteria, with all of these being produced or distributed by A24, who really kinda brought this film archetype into the modern era. But it’s a topic that has been around for decades, from The Babadook to Don’t Look Now. And you know, there’s nothing wrong with the topic. I just think it needs a little something something to make it feel unique and iconic.

And you know, 2022’s Talk to Me kinda did it for me. YouTubers turned directors Danny and Michael Philippou managed to take the idea of grief processed through horror and turn it into a fresh paranormal romp that used speaking with the dead as a clever coping mechanism. Plus, the film had a fun and unique voice to it, so naturally, I got excited to see what the brothers ended up doing next. But unfortunately, much like the themes in the movie, the directors may be caught in a loop.

Bring Her Back is chock full of visceral moments that are sure to scare, unnerve and maybe even make you laugh, proving that the Philippous have the sauce to make an engaging horror movie. But while I found Talk to Me feeling fresh despite a tried and true idea, their sophomoric outing feels like it lost a bit of that flavor. The narrative and ideas are far less interesting than what they cooked up in their previous film, while the heavy handed, symbolic nature of its themes felt a tad too oppressive and lacked subtlety. Their unique voice still comes through in their writing and camera work, but I found it does not always mesh well with the story this time around. That being said, this is still better than horror films this year has to offer, but where I expected progression, I found a bit of running in circles.

Tragedy strikes a pair of step-siblings when their father dies in a freak accident, forcing them into the foster care system, and eventually, the home of Laura, a foster mom who recently lost a daughter of her own. She takes a quick liking to Piper, who is visually-impaired similarly to her deceased child, but acts a bit less welcoming to Andy. Things are made even more tense when they meet Laura’s other foster child, Oliver, who silently stalks about the house with a strange, dark aura to him. Laura’s intentions slowly become clear that she means to use Piper to not only fill the void of her dead daughter, but to use her as a sacrifice to bring her back to life.

One of the things that I appreciate about the Philippous that I’ve found in both of their films is that they know how to write and direct horror characters that feel genuine and authentic. It really helps to make their decisions far more understandable, even if we don’t always agree with them. Not to mention that they seem pretty good and picking out solid actors. Sally Hawkins does a phenomenal job as Laura, an eccentric but seemingly caring woman who is the uncontested mayor of Gaslight City. She manages to be so likable and vile at the same time, tapping into some very real loss that she also scummily weaponizes when it benefits her most. Something unique to her that you don’t see a lot of in these cult/exorcist movies is that she does not have a solid grasp on things. She’s far from a master planner who has every last detail figured out. She makes mistakes that cost her dearly, and it was pretty refreshing to see this spin on a character like this.

Additionally, Bill Barratt and Sora Wong do a solid job at selling the misery of their situation as Andy and Piper respectively. Andy’s protectiveness of Piper, along with his own inner demons, makes for quite the big brother character who catches onto things early, but doesn’t want to ruin the newfound happiness his sister has found. Meanwhile, Wong brings a much appreciated representation of the visually-impaired, though, at times, she does fall into some of the trappings that come with characters like this, more often than not losing her agency because of her affliction. And our resident spooky-looking kid, Oliver, played by Jonah Ren Philips, does quite the serviceable job with a rather predictable character archetype. He nails all the cliches, but it’s those brief moments of emotional terror that we get that really shows off the kid’s talent. The monstrous transformation he endures is no easy feat, but Philips carries it all with an impressive amount of commitment.

But of course, there are plenty of gnarly special effects work at play to really sell the horror of what goes on in that house. There are moments that are pretty unrelenting involving bodily harm that are definitely not for the squeamish. I didn’t know you could more or less curb stomp yourself, but this movie found a way, and the effect of broken, bloody teeth is absolutely brutal. But maybe you’re more of the skin flaying type. Well, don’t worry, because you’ll get to see an arm peeled like a potato not much later. And like Talk to Me, the sound design makes all of these moments even more revolting, though thankfully, they’ve seemed to ditch making their jump scare noises 200 decibels this time around. I and my ruptured eardrums thank you.

In their prior film, the Philippous used an embalmed hand as the centerpiece of their themes. It served as a literal metaphor for reaching out to the afterlife, but it also served as the embodiment of the addictions that can be formed when grief isn’t properly worked through. And this time around, the focus of the film is circles. Circles in the yard, circles on the windows, circles on the soft spot of the head; there are so many damn circles. There’s a lot of different ways for the symbolism to be interpreted; it could mean the cycle of parental abuse that befell Andy that he fears he will continue himself, or the cyclical nature of death and rebirth represented in Laura’s plan. Either way, I think we are circled to death here to the point where it feels a bit overbearing. It’s not the most unique form of symbolism either, feeling a lot like how Christian symbolism gets overplayed in a lot of media. And unfortunately, it doesn’t really service any kind of unique or intriguing take on these aforementioned themes. If anything, it feels a bit redundant considering their prior film already kind of handled these themes to far greater success in my eyes.

And because Bring Her Back doesn’t have as engaging of a narrative structure to tackle these themes again, I found this to feel a bit more generic and empty than what I expected from a follow-up. This was the time to continue pushing the envelope, but not only does it feel like the brothers have kept their feet firmly in place, at times it feels like they’ve even taken a step back. This is especially prevalent in the climax, which forgoes a big, expected blowout with more of a quieter character moment that does show some maturity, but ultimately felt too restrained for a film that already felt like it was pulling its punches. While I loved the more visceral moments, they ultimately serve less of narrative purpose and are rather there to shock because that’s what horror movies should do, right? But there’s not much else other than flesh to sink your teeth into at the end of the day. Despite its nihilistic attitude and depressing outcomes, I wasn’t nearly as shaken as much as you would think despite the best attempts from the actors.The pieces are there to connect grief, abuse and trauma into an engaging story, but they just don’t really come together here.

Bring Her Back will ultimately deliver on a solid horror experience for most, even if I think it lacks the splintered and energizing identity that would make me come back to Talk to Me. Performances are certainly no short of substantial, and the scariness more often than not delivers with disgusting gore and haunting images, but for me, it was sorely missing something that pulled me in and made me see this as something more than just a horror movie. That’s the kind of thinking that put A24 on the map for me, and I sure as hell hope they can bring that mindset back eventually. Hell, I’ll get a demon stuffed inside me to do it. Then again, I have been drinking, so don’t hold me to that.

RATING

CIRCLE OF TRAUMA

There’s something so devilish about a circle, right? What are you doing walking around here without any edges? In truth, circles are commonplace in a lot of horror films, usually for the means of summoning something not belonging to this world. But here’s one circle of salt that won’t be summoning a demon (as long as you’re behaved). The Circle of Trauma is a tropical-leaning, slightly bitter sweet cocktail that utilizes mango and melon, two fruits that actually have a bit of prominence in the film. The combination is quite refreshing, with a little bit of mint appearing on the back end to give your mouth a pleasant cooling sensation.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5oz spiced rum
• 1oz midori
• 1oz grapefruit juice
• 5 mint leaves
• 1/2oz lime juice
• top: soda water
• rim: salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Take a rocks glass and rim it with a lime wedge, then coat the rim in salt.
2. Add ingredients to a shaker and shake to chill.
3. Strain into prepared glass over ice.
4. Top with soda water.