A24’s upcoming Australian thriller Bring Her Back, directed by the Philippou brothers, aims to reset expectations for physical horror in cinemas. Slated for a July 30, 2025 release in France, the film has already secured an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score, thanks to visceral practical effects, nightmarish sound design, and a standout performance by Sally Hawkins.
Bring Her Back follows 17-year-old Andy and his visually impaired sister Piper as they enter the care of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a foster guardian tormented by her own loss. When Laura’s occult ritual goes awry, a sequence of demonic possessions and grotesque body-horror scenarios unfolds. Unlike typical jump-scare fare, the Philippous lean into tangible, stomach-turning effects—drowned corpses, ritual regurgitations, and practical makeup work that linger long after the credits.
Critics praise Hawkins’ transformation from maternal roles to a deranged figure consumed by grief. Young leads Billy Barratt (Andy) and Sora Wong (Piper) also earn commendations for grounding the horror with genuine emotional stakes. Some reviewers caution that the narrative can feel deliberately opaque, but most agree the film’s unsettling craftsmanship eclipses its ambiguities.
Bring Her Back resonates with mechanics found in modern horror games. The ritual-based plot mirrors progression systems where players gather relics or complete sequences under time pressure—think atmospheric tension in titles like Silent Hill or the environmental puzzles of Resident Evil. Developers could adapt the Philippous’ tactile approach into VR or immersive first-person formats, emphasizing visceral encounters over digital gore.
Sound design, another strong suit, reflects audio-driven scares popularized by demos such as P.T. Its reliance on creaks, whispers, and gut-wrenching crescendos offers a blueprint for horror games seeking to evoke genuine dread rather than rely on scripted jump triggers.
As streaming platforms and indie studios invest in interactive horror, Bring Her Back highlights a growing appetite for hybrid experiences across film and gaming. A24’s brand now extends beyond arthouse prestige into cross-media opportunities: licensed games, VR tie-ins, and narrative expansions.
This practical-effects resurgence also signals a shift in audience expectations. After years of digital-only scares, filmmakers and game designers alike are refocusing on physical craftsmanship—real prosthetics, atmospheric set pieces, and soundscapes that elude easy replication in 3D engines. The result is a richer, more unpredictable horror ecosystem poised for collaboration.
Bring Her Back isn’t just another horror release; it’s a challenge to creators to rethink how fear is delivered on screen and in-game. For horror aficionados and developers hunting fresh approaches, the Philippou brothers’ work offers both a cautionary tale and a source of inspiration—one that insists on the power of the tactile, the audible, and the uncomfortably intimate.
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