pedroquintaoo

My relationship with A24 is anything but peaceful. I either love or hate their films, and I rarely land anywhere in between. Talk To Me was one of the few that really got me, so I gave Bring Her Back a shot, even though I went in with low expectations. And maybe that helped, because this new horror from Danny and Michael Philippou pulled me in way more than I expected.

The story follows two half-brothers who are temporarily taken in by a very strange woman. It starts off quietly, but becomes more and more disturbing as small details start falling into place. It's a supernatural horror film, but nothing like The Conjuring or Insidious. There are no easy jump scares or monsters made with CGI. What we get instead is discomfort. Real tension. A heavy atmosphere and a few scenes that are honestly quite disturbing. I felt like there was always something being hidden, like I was being pulled deeper into the story even when nothing "visually scary" was happening. The horror came from the situation, the characters' behaviour, the ambiguity and that constant thought: "what would I do if I were in their shoes?"

There were three scenes in particular that really shocked me. No spoilers, but all three went far beyond the kind of discomfort I felt during that infamous worm scene in The Ugly Stepsister. That alone says a lot. I'll just say this: I'll never look at a melon knife the same way again.

The performances are another highlight, especially from Sally Hawkins, who plays the villain. She's disturbing, manipulative and absolutely despicable in a way that made me want to reach into the screen and give her what she deserves.

This is exactly the kind of film I love: bold, weird, unforgettable. But it doesn't spend two hours trying to rub your face in how "different" it is, like The Witch, Midsommar or even Hereditary (and while I like that last one, I've never fully bought into the hype).

I get that this won't be for everyone. It's not "easy" horror, and the film has this strange, dirty tone that's bound to frustrate some people. But for me, cinema is about creating feelings, it should hit you, annoy you, scare you, make you fall in love or feel disgusted. Bring Her Back did all of that. It dragged me into a twisted nightmare I won't forget anytime soon.

And yes! That, to me, is what cinema is all about.