Blu-ray Review: Bring Her Back

Bring Her Back (2025, R, 1h 44m)
A brother and sister witness a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

What We Thought:

I had heard good things about Bring Her Back. I had no idea what it was about, but I thought it was going to be a solid horror film that I somehow missed at the theater. After watching it, I think it’s more of a psychological drama than horror flick, but I can see why people liked it.

It’s about a brother and his deaf step-sister who move in with a foster mother after their father dies. The foster mother (Sally Hawkins) seems instantly taken by the deaf Asian girl and doesn’t seem all that interested in the soon to be 18 year old boy. He’s struggling with the loss of his biological father, but is doing whatever he can for his step-sister. There’s another boy already there who seems off and who the mother seems to be lying about.

At first you’re not quite sure what to make of all of it. You pretty quickly understand the foster mother is clearly hiding things. Hawkins is great in the role of course and you dislike her as quickly as the boy. I won’t spoil how off the rails it goes and I honestly don’t know if it even makes a lick of sense with a cult backstory and Hawkins having a huge secret. I’m ok with not understanding it because it could have explained too much and then lost its footing or stepped on its own explanation.

I think my only issue with the film is I was expecting a horror flick. There is action with the young boy, but it’s more a thriller or drama than horror. I know some people would consider it a subgenre of horror, but I prefer my horror to be slashers and have killers. The acting is top-notch which holds your attention throughout and helps keep the drama together.

Bring Her Back is well made and has a ton of style. Its performances keeps it from being just another generic flick you’ll forget about by the end of the year. I may not 100% understand the cult stuff, but the reasoning for everything happening makes perfect sense. If you like Hawkins you’ll love her in this. It may not be the movie I wanted, but I understand the buzz from when it came out.