A24 just dropped the first look at Bring Her Back, the new horror flick from Talk to Me directors Danny & Michael Philippou—and it’s already messing with our heads. The teaser’s three-word pitch? “Harrowing, traumatic, and fun.”
Fun?!
Sure, A24’s brand of horror often dances between dread and dark humor (Hereditary’s dinner table scene, anyone?), but slapping “fun” next to “harrowing” feels like a dare. The Philippou brothers—better known as YouTube’s RackaRacka—aren’t new to blending brutality with absurdity. Their breakout hit Talk to Me balanced gore with Gen-Z nihilism, and Bring Her Back seems to double down: a brother and sister stumble onto their foster mother’s (Sally Hawkins) occult ritual in the Australian outback.
The Twist? Emotional Horror
The Philippous hint this isn’t just jump scares—it’s a “really emotional” story. That tracks. Talk to Me weaponized grief; here, the foster system and fractured family ties could be the real monsters. Hawkins, an Oscar nominee who can turn Paddington’s Mrs. Brown into The Shape of Water’s quiet intensity, is perfect for a role that’s equal parts nurturing and nightmarish.
Why This Matters
A24’s horror renaissance (The Witch, Midsommar) thrives on psychological dread, but the Philippous inject something raw—like if The Babadook’s grief met Evil Dead’s chaos. And filming in Adelaide’s isolation? Chef’s kiss for unease.
If Talk to Me was a party game gone wrong, Bring Her Back might be a family dinner from hell—with Sally Hawkins serving the main course. May 30th can’t come soon enough.
