If horror films reflect what we’re scared to admit in daylight, then Bring Her Back doesn’t just show you darkness—it drags you into it. Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, the sibling duo who shocked audiences with 2023’s Talk to Me, this sophomore feature trades viral possession for psychological dread and suburban occultism. But while Talk to Me was visceral and violent, Bring Her Back is slow, sad, and suffocating in the best way possible.
It’s a story about family, but not the kind you’d want. About motherhood, but not love. About grief, and what happens when it festers instead of heals.
Premise Without Spoilers
Andy (Billy Barratt) is a teenager with too much weight on his shoulders. After a violent family tragedy, he ends up with Piper (Sora Wong), a blind foster sister he’s promised to protect. They’re placed in the care of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a seemingly kind and eccentric woman who opens her home—and soon, much more.
But Laura has a secret: she’s still grieving her deceased daughter. And she’s not ready to let go. What starts as a comforting maternal facade slowly reveals something far more sinister—a plot to bring her back at any cost.
Performance Breakdown
Sally Hawkins as Laura
Let’s get this out of the way: this is a career-defining performance. Hawkins plays Laura like a woman balancing a smile on a knife’s edge. At first glance, she’s warm, nurturing, perhaps overly involved. But you begin to sense something buried deeper—desperation, manipulation, madness.
Hawkins doesn’t need monologues to terrify. A whisper, a look, the way she clutches her daughter’s sweater—every gesture screams loss. This is grief weaponized, and Hawkins sells it with unnerving grace.
Billy Barratt as Andy
Barratt plays Andy as a boy quietly breaking. He’s too young to be anyone’s protector, yet that’s exactly what he tries to be—for Piper, for himself. There’s anger beneath the surface, but also fear, guilt, and love. His arc is tragic: he enters as a caretaker and ends as something else entirely. It’s subtle, sad, and powerful.
Sora Wong as Piper
Piper is more than just a “disabled character.” She’s sharp, self-aware, and defiant. Her blindness is portrayed with realism and respect, never as a crutch. Wong brings strength and vulnerability in equal measure, and her chemistry with Barratt feels earned, not forced.
Themes That Hit Hard
1. Grief as a Virus
Grief in Bring Her Back isn’t sadness. It’s rot. It spreads, infects, consumes. Laura’s inability to move on becomes the film’s driving engine—and it doesn’t just destroy her, it corrupts everyone around her. The horror isn’t just supernatural; it’s emotional.
2. Parenthood as Power
Laura’s “love” for her daughter is possessive, obsessive. Andy’s attempts to be a protective older brother are noble but naive. The film asks: when does love stop being love and start becoming control? The answer, in this story, is chilling.
3. Children as Collateral
At its core, this is a story about kids abandoned by the adults meant to protect them. Piper and Andy are caught in cycles of violence, trauma, and exploitation. No child gets out clean.
The Horror: Psychological, Practical, and Persistent
Don’t expect traditional jump scares. The Philippous rely more on atmosphere than spectacle. Creeping dread. Creaking floorboards. Ritualistic details that feel pulled from real occult lore. And then, in the final act, a descent into full-blown nightmare—complete with body horror that feels earned, not gratuitous.
Special credit goes to the practical effects team. Whether it’s the disturbing shrine Laura keeps hidden or a grotesque transformation scene involving Piper, everything feels tactile. Nothing here is polished or clean. It’s all rotting.
Weak Spots
Let’s be honest: this movie isn’t perfect. And it’s not for everyone.
• Slow Burn, Maybe Too Slow
Some viewers might check out in the second act. The pace crawls at times, and not all plot points are resolved cleanly. Those expecting the kinetic chaos of Talk to Me may be disappointed.
• Mythology Underdeveloped
There’s a ritual. There’s a belief system. There are whispers of “bringing her back.” But the film never fully explains how or why it works. That’s intentional—it adds ambiguity—but it may frustrate those who want narrative closure.
Standout Moments
- Dinner Scene with the Doll: A quiet, gut-wrenching moment where Laura treats Piper like her dead daughter—and Piper plays along. It’s horrifying and heartbreaking.
- Andy’s Breakdown in the Basement: A raw, physical performance from Barratt as his grip on reality shatters.
- Final 10 Minutes: No spoilers, but let’s just say the ending doesn’t flinch. It hurts. And it sticks with you.
Final Verdict
Bring Her Back isn’t a fun horror movie. It’s not here to entertain you with gore or ghosts. It’s here to make you uncomfortable. To make you feel something. It’s slow, brutal, and emotionally violent. It’s not for everyone—but if you let it in, it will wreck you.
Rating: 5/5
Bring Her Back Ending Explained (Spoiler Warning!)
Folk horror thrives on atmosphere, mystery, and the unsettling collision of human emotion with the supernatural. Bring Her Back (2025), directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, is one of those films that lingers long after the credits roll—not just because of its disturbing imagery, but because of its heartbreaking themes of grief, denial, and obsession.
If you’ve just watched it and are left puzzled (and maybe a little shaken), here’s a breakdown of what really happened, and what the ending means.
The Truth About Cathy
For most of the film, Laura insists that her missing daughter Cathy has returned, though we never actually see her alive. As the story unfolds, we discover the devastating truth: Cathy died by suicide a year earlier.
Instead of reporting her death or mourning properly, Laura preserved Cathy’s corpse in a storage shed, frozen in time. This shocking reveal makes it clear—Laura has been living in denial, unable to let go.
Who Is Ollie Really?
One of the most unsettling mysteries is the boy Laura calls Ollie. At first, he appears to be a nephew staying with the family. But in reality, he’s Connor Bird, a kidnapped local child.
Laura renames him “Ollie” and uses him as a vessel for an occult ritual. Possessed by a demonic force, Connor begins displaying terrifying behaviors: eating knives, meowing like a cat after devouring one, and later consuming pieces of human flesh. The possession is directly tied to Laura’s resurrection plan.
The Ritual Explained
Laura’s ritual has four key steps:
- The Vessel – A living host (Connor/Ollie).
- The Body – Cathy’s corpse, which the demon must consume.
- The Circle – A protective chalk boundary keeping the vessel contained.
- The Transfer – Moving Cathy’s soul into Piper, Laura’s young niece.
Laura believes this will literally “bring Cathy back.” The white circle around the house isn’t just for show—it’s a binding ritual meant to keep the demon trapped until the transfer is complete.
The Climactic Moment
The ritual nearly succeeds. Connor devours Cathy’s corpse, and Piper is positioned to become the new host for Cathy’s soul. But then Piper screams out one word: “Mom!”
That single cry jolts Laura out of her obsession. For the first time, she sees Piper not as a vessel, but as a frightened child. Laura hesitates, and the ritual collapses.
The Fate of Ollie/Connor
With the spell broken, Connor stumbles out of the circle and vomits out the demonic presence. The possession ends, and he returns to his true self—a terrified, traumatized boy, finally freed.
The implication is that Connor will survive, though scarred, while Laura is left with the reality she has tried so desperately to avoid: Cathy is truly gone, and there is no bringing her back.
What the Ending Means
At its core, Bring Her Back isn’t just about demons or rituals—it’s about the consuming power of grief. Laura’s refusal to accept her daughter’s death turns her love into something monstrous.
- Cathy’s death by suicide highlights the devastating impact of silence and denial.
- Connor’s possession reflects how innocent lives can be destroyed when grief becomes obsession.
- The broken ritual shows that closure doesn’t come from forcing the dead to return—it comes from letting go.
The final moments, with police arriving and Piper safe, emphasize that while Laura’s quest has failed, at least the cycle of harm ends with the children surviving.
Q: How did Laura’s daughter, Cathy died?
- Context: Cathy had been missing for a year, and Laura was consumed with grief and denial, refusing to believe her daughter was truly gone.
- Truth revealed: Later in the film, Laura finds Cathy’s frozen corpse hidden in a storage shed behind her own home. It’s heavily implied that Cathy took her own life there, unnoticed.
- Laura’s delusion: Laura never reported Cathy missing and kept her death a secret. Instead of mourning properly, she embarked on an occult mission to bring her back to life, using ancient resurrection rituals that involved sacrificing a soul and using a vessel (Connor/Ollie).
Symbolism and Emotional Depth
Cathy’s death by suicide becomes the emotional core of the story:
- Laura’s inability to accept her daughter’s death drives the horror.
- The occult ritual is a metaphor for how grief warps reality, turning love into obsession.
- By the end, Laura is forced to confront the truth: her daughter chose to leave and can’t be brought back.
Q: Why can’t Ollie go outside white circle around the house?
It’s a containment spell — a protective boundary ritual.
The white circle is part of the occult resurrection ritual Laura is performing. It serves two key purposes:
1. To trap the demon inside Ollie (Connor)
The white chalk circle is a magickal ward, preventing the possessed vessel (Ollie) from escaping.
- Once Ollie is possessed by the demon, he becomes a powerful, unstable entity.
- If he crosses the circle, the demon might be unleashed into the world or the ritual could fail.
2. To preserve the ritual’s energy
The ritual requires:
- A vessel (Connor/Ollie)
- A body to be consumed (Cathy)
- A soul to transfer into (Piper)
- And containment to keep spiritual energy focused
Breaking the circle would disrupt the spell, release chaos, and likely cause the death of the vessel or those around him.
What happens when he does escape?
Near the end, the ritual breaks down:
- Piper screams “Mom,” triggering Laura’s maternal clarity.
- She abandons the ritual, and at that moment,
Final Thoughts
The ending of Bring Her Back is both tragic and cathartic. Laura’s desperate attempt to resurrect her daughter ultimately destroys her, but it also spares the living. The film leaves us with a sobering reminder: sometimes, the dead must stay dead—and the hardest part of grief is acceptance.