Bring Her Back is a harrowing supernatural horror film from Danny and Michael Philippou, the Australian twin brothers whose 2022 debut Talk to Me became one of A24's biggest horror successes. Their hotly anticipated follow-up trades that film's viral-party premise for something far more intimate and devastating: a story about grief, foster care, and the monstrous lengths a mother will go to in order to undo a loss. It confirms the Philippous as horror filmmakers interested in real human anguish as much as in shocks.

Sally Hawkins, the two-time Oscar nominee best known for gentle, luminous roles, is cast startlingly against type as Laura, a former counselor who takes in two step-siblings — Andy and his partially sighted younger sister Piper — after the sudden death of their father. What first looks like sanctuary slowly reveals itself as something else, as Laura's grief over her own dead daughter draws the children toward a terrifying occult ritual. Newcomers Sora Wong and Billy Barratt anchor the film opposite Hawkins, with Jonah Wren Phillips delivering one of the year's most disturbing supporting turns.

Reviewers greeted Bring Her Back as a rare horror sequel-in-spirit that surpasses expectations, singling out Hawkins' fearless performance and the film's almost unbearable emotional intensity. It performed strongly in theaters and became one of the most acclaimed horror releases of the year before dominating the streaming charts. Bring Her Back is streaming on HBO Max.