Bring Her Back Directors on the Horror of Watching Their New A24 Release with an Audience

A24’s new horror release Bring Her Back is so scary, even directors Danny and Michael Philippou were scared  to watch it in a theater. Of course, their fear stems from an anxiety that only filmmakers who have spent years making a deeply personal project can truly understand.

“We’re so nervous about showing it,” Michael Philippou tells MovieMaker a week after a bi-coastal first-look screening. “We were mixing right up to the last day, then we finished it and went straight to do promotion. It feels like, in our head, it's just not done yet or something. It's always painful watching it outside with an audience when it's so personal to you.”

Danny Philippou adds: “I was like, ‘I'm gonna sit down and watch it with the audience.’ And as soon as it started, I'm like, ‘I can't be here. I need to go get drunk somewhere.’ It's too hard to watch. Maybe tomorrow for the premiere.”

“Yeah, I want to be able to, because that's the cool thing about moves, it's a communal experience,” Michael Philippou chimes back in. “And that's why you do it as well, to put on a film that people can watch and be entertained by. We just don't have the courage to sit there and watch it with them yet.”

Bring Her Back is the Philippou brothers’ somber followup to Talk to Me, an acclaimed 2022 horror hit that centered around teenagers turning an embalmed, spirit-channeling hand into a fun party trick, with deadly consequences.

“With Talk to Me, we were able to kind of process what it was and come to terms of what it was,” Michael Philippou says. “This one, we were so in it, and to suddenly finish it and go and show people, it's such a surreal experience.”

While MovieMaker can’t confirm whether the Australian filmmakers have since watched the film in a theater with an audience at the time of this writing, we can report that their new film is a contender to rank as one of A24’s best horror movies to date, and certainly lives up to the hype building around release.

The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus declares: “A domestic nightmare that draws its most profound scares from Sally Hawkins' deranged performance, Bring Her Back is an exemplary chiller that reaffirms directors Danny and Michael Philippou as modern masters of horror.”

It’s the directing duo’s most fully realized cinematic expression so far, with two-time Oscar nominee Hawkins (Blue Jasmine, The Shape of Water) bringing no less than her A game to the role of Laura, a former social worker and counselor who gleefully agrees to foster blind teenager Piper (Sora Wong) after her stepfather’s sudden death. 

She is, however, more reserved about welcoming her older brother, Andy (Billy Barratt), who is just three months shy of turning 18, with the intention to formally adopt his stepsister.

Also Read: The Wes Anderson System — The Phoenician Scheme Director and His Team on Going Their Own Way

The tension begins there, and slowly builds into a very wet, wild and bloody third act, with plenty of scares — psychological and supernatural — as Andy unravels his suspicions about his temporary foster mother and what secrets she’s hiding.

It’s a contained, character-driven possession horror rooted in death-revival cult lore that Danny Philippou says he was attracted to after watching a close family friend grieve the loss of a child. 

“I just wanted this inversion of the healthy way of grieving,” he explains in our chat, which unfolds at length below.

Warning: minor spoilers are ahead as the filmmakers discuss their preference for practical visual effects, which of them were the most daunting to pull off, their favorite scenes to shoot, why Bring Her Back was more difficult to make than Talk to Me, casting a vision-impaired actor with no experience, and if they think there’s potential for a sequel.

Greg Gilman: I think everyone loved the film in our L.A. screening. I watched your Q&A afterward, and you talked about how most of the effects were practical. So, what drew you to go the practical effects route as compared to CGI? And do you find that practical is more or less difficult to pull off than using digital effects?

Michael Philippou: I think it goes back to how we used to make stuff as kids, because we couldn't do VFX. We didn't know how to, so we would always just want to do it practically. And there was something about movies when you watch them, the practical effects, especially in horror films, and prosthetics and things like that. It's so incredible and such an artistry that there's something about it that stands the test of time — that it was shot there in camera, in front of your face, without it being added later. [As for] it being more difficult or less difficult, I think it would be unfair to the effects team to say that it's less difficult to do it with VFX. They both have different challenges, and we love the challenges of trying to pull off everything practically.

Danny Philippou: We want to nail everything practically.

Greg Gilman: What was the most challenging of those practical effects? Because there's a lot of blood, there's a lot of horror. What was the most challenging of those sequences to pull off for you on set?

Danny Philippou: The rain was the most impossible thing to pull off. That is a practical effect, it’s not a makeup effect, but trying to make it rain at daytime on exterior scenes is a freaking challenge.

You have to wait for the sun to set behind these hills, and you've got, like, two hours to try and nail all of these scenes and sequences, because you can't fake an overcast day. If there's hard shadows, there's gonna be hard shadows. And we didn't have the budget to block out the sun.

Michael Philippou: I would say the most difficult would be, just as a shot, the dragging into the pool. Because you're going from inside to outside, everything needs to be coordinated. You have full rain going. Once you have Oliver [actor Jonah Wren Phillips] out in the rain, he has all that makeup on. As soon as it starts raining, it's going to start washing off. So, the resets of going from wet to dry, the logistics of getting them into the pool as the camera’s going safely. Just making sure everything's in sync and timed right, that was probably the most complicated part, I think.

Greg Gilman: So what was the secret to pulling that off? How did you make it work?

Danny Philippou: Rehearsal is key. I go through it as many times as possible; I talk about every possible thing that could go wrong, and just build yourself up to those moments, because you only have a little bit of time to try. We only have two takes that we're gonna be able to nail it in, so it was all about the rehearsal.

Michael Philippou: And then failing in the first one. [Both laugh.]

Greg Gilman: Was this a hard movie to make?

Danny Philippou: Yeah, much harder than Talk to Me. And because of that practical aspect. It was a smaller film in terms of the characters in the world, but logistically, pulling it off was a lot more difficult.

Michael Philippou: Yeah, the practical nature, logistically, with young actors, as well — a vision impaired young actor, as well — so just different challenges with each movie. This one was a tougher movie to make, for sure.

Greg Gilman: And speaking of that fantastic actor who played Piper, Sora Wong: This is her first on-screen acting role. Was anyone, like producers or executives, nervous about you casting her with so little experience? And what was it about her that made you feel like she's the one for this?

Danny Philippou: We knew we wanted to authentically have someone that was vision impaired on screen. It's such a rare thing to see. Our producer, A24 and everyone was completely on board. They loved the idea.

And then it was just about having an open casting call around Australia and having these young actors come in, or people that wanted to be actors. And Sora, naturally, from the first scene that we rehearsed with her, she put herself into these scenarios and into this headspace and into this world. 

With acting, you've either got it or you don't, I think, and there's a rawness and a realness that comes with someone that hasn't done it before, where they're really putting themselves out there. So yeah, we're so proud of Sora.

Michael Philippou: We knew that she would be able to pull it off, just from that first improv scene we did with her. She was really nervous about [the production], but we adapted the shoot to kind of allow for her to get comfortable and work up to those big scenes.

And it's just all about working with her, getting it comfortable and saying, ‘“None of this matters. All these cameras and people and stuff doesn't matter. Just do what you did in that audition, put yourself in this moment, and let's capture it.”  

So yeah, she's incredible. Her transformation from the beginning of the shoot to the end was amazing.

Greg GIlman: And what does working with someone who is nearly blind mean for the production? How does that change the dynamic and what kind of adjustments do you need to make on set to provide for that? 

Danny Philippou: We had an access coordinator who came with her, and helped her have time to familiarize herself with the set. We had her parents there with her at all times, like with any young actor. But apart from that, it just felt like having another actor on set. All of her senses are so heightened and she was able to navigate at a much higher level than we initially thought.

Michael Philippou:  I think it's just being aware of that, and making a safe space for her. Especially with just navigating. But she is so incredible, you forget that she's vision impaired. You really would. Even having a conversation with her, she's so comfortable in the world that you don't even notice.

Greg Gilman: Bring Her Back is a very mature film. It seemed like a fully realized film compared to Talk to Me, which I also really loved. But it just seems like there was a bit of a maturation as filmmakers and writers in this one. So what drew you to building a movie around a blind character like Piper?

Danny Philippou: It was a friend whose little sister is not well-sighted, and it was just hearing a conversation with him, her and her family, where she really wanted to catch the bus by herself, and her parents are worried about that. It's like she wants to be independent and learn how to navigate the world on her own, and so just that interaction, I found fascinating. I understood each side of the argument, and so that was one of the big inspiration points.

And through the conversations with her, when I'm like, “What do you think seeing would be like, like? How would that feel?” And she said, “I'm glad I can't see because I don't have to see the ugly things in the world.” And that statement was like the thematic through line for the entire movie. It was such a beautiful statement.

Michael Philippou: There's so much that has to do with trust, truth and lies: what you see, what you don't see, different sides of people. Piper needs to trust Andy 100 percent; he is her eyes. So, that idea of him not coming to terms with things, or not allowing her to see the reality of the world and painting it just one way, thematically, just kind of all made sense, and that was just threaded in with everything.

Michael and Danny Philippou on Bring Her Back Compared to Talk to Me

Greg Gilman: Was the ambition to kind of level up your storytelling here? Was that where you're coming in as filmmakers after doing Talk to Me, which was like a teen party film?

Danny Philippou: Yeah, we knew that we wanted to really focus on a character-driven story. And like, that was always a bit of an uncomfortable thing on Talk to Me. It was always the hardest part just working on the drama beats and the drama parts of the film, and I wanted to confront that, and I really wanted to look at that to help level us up as filmmakers. So, it was always about trying to do something that was super character driven.

Michael Philippou: Yeah, challenge ourselves to commit to a different style of horror film, because our instinct of where we come from is the punchy, the fast, kind of energetic way. It's like trying to commit to a different type of storytelling. So, yeah, it was definitely a challenge.

Danny Philippou: Whether we pulled it off or not, I don’t know. [Laughs]

Greg Gilman: I think you pulled it off, no doubt. How did working with Sally Hawkins shape the story and the trajectory of the film?

Danny Philippou:   She connected with the material on a purely character level. She never looked at it as a genre film; she looked at it entirely from that character.

And she's so driven, and she comes at it from this angle like wanting to dress the set in all these sorts of ways, wanting to act out these moments that weren't in the film. She loves building out an entire sense of history, and she loves living and breathing the character. So, having an artist like that to collaborate — same so with a cinematographer or a production designer — someone that brings a whole other layer to the film. That collaboration was the best. We loved it.

Michael Philippou: I was kind of afraid of, I don't know, a big ego or something with having, like, a bigger name actor. But Sally really liked the script, and then chatting with her, how deeply she dissected the character and understood it, we just knew that she was perfect. I was like, “Oh, please, let us have her.”

Danny and I are so passionate about filmmaking, and it's obsessive; it's all we think about. Having someone that is the same as that, but from a performing standpoint, was a dream, like a match made in heaven. We were really able to dive deep with her and do things that I don't think other performers would do. She just lives and breathes it. She’s amazing.

Greg Gilman: What's also great about the film is you have what I think every good horror movie needs: the lore, the mythology behind the scenes. And you kind of have this cult that brings people back to life, transplanting souls through bodies. When you're designing a horror movie, are you trying to plant a seed that can grow into sequels? Talk to Me is getting a sequel. Do you think that Bring Her Back could get a sequel based on the idea of this cult behind it? 

Danny Philippou: Well, Talk to Me felt natural for a sequel, because as soon as we finished writing the film, we couldn't help but keep writing. Like, what happens to the characters after this? What happens there? What happens with this? It naturally evolved into sequel ideas, whereas Bring Her Back felt a lot more self contained.

I didn't have the urge of, like, “Oh, what happens here and there?” I felt like the story was told, and it felt final. Not saying that we would never revisit it; I'm always open to anything happening. But yeah, at this moment, it didn't feel like that.

Michael Philippou: And it wasn't created with that in mind. It's kind of the same with the characters. You put a character into a story, and you need to know their backstory. You need to know the moments of their lives that led them to this and that this is their personality and this is what they're struggling with. You need to create that world for them to live as a genuine, three-dimensional character.

That's the same with the lore. We need to know everything that leads up to this. What is this called? Why are they there? How is this created? What are the reasons? We don't want to knock people over the head with what that is and say every single thing, because you're getting inserted into the story at a particular point of time, so you’re experiencing it there and then. There are answers that are there, not in an overt way, but it's part of the story, and it is deep, but the film’s not focusing on it that overtly. It's about the characters and the moments they're going through.

Greg Gilman: You guys seem like really fun guys. Your career started just having fun on YouTube, so I was curious about your philosophy: Is it important to have fun while you're making movies? And how do you balance having fun with being serious and focused enough to get shit done?

Michael Philippou: You need to be having fun. Like, it's already such a stressful process. Making a movie is such a mammoth task, and there's so much pressure, so having that super serious energy on set is just going to make things more difficult. So having it fun and inviting and exciting, especially for the kids to come to, is really important.

We're already dealing with a heavy subject matter; having that be the environment that they walk up to before they're rolling camera doesn't make sense. You want everyone to have fun and be passionate about what they're making. That's the way that we like making stuff and not taking ourselves so seriously. It's a process, and it is a really intense process, but it doesn't have to be a serious, somber process.

Greg Gilman: But you do have the opposite of these filmmakers who get very into it, and they want the actors to be feeling the hell as their character is experiencing it.

Michael PPhilippou: Yeah, yeah. And I think it's like certain scenes. Say there is a very heavy scene, there's a big moment… It's about being able to get into that headspace safely and for that moment of time and then coming back out of it.

Greg Gilman:What was your favorite sequence to shoot and what turned out even better than you imagined it would? 

Michael Philippou: The most fun was them drinking and having fun and partying around the house.

Danny Philippou: Because that was like a big roaming improv take where you're yelling things out and everyone's playing along. The energy is very fun.

Michael Philippou: And it's like nonstop. Sally's hilarious. The kids were hilarious, just having fun. There was a part where Sally was looking at the dog for like five minutes, like, deep into its eyes. Them performing in character, in that environment, was hilarious. It was awesome.

Greg Gilman: As fun as the drinking sequence was, there was some undercurrent of anxiety and horror. Because you already know that this woman's a little strange, right? There's something wrong with her. And I'm like, why is she getting drunk with her foster kids?

Danny Philippou: Exactly! That was our whole thing of perception and perspective all the way through the film. Through Piper's mind, she thinks this is the funnest thing ever. But from an adult's mind, you're like, this is totally inappropriate. And that adds to the horror, especially for an older viewer.

Michael Philippou: Yeah, the face that they're showing and what Laura is showing and the reality are two different things. And that's why it's important to see from the character’s point of view how it's feeling, and then the reality of it. What you see, what you don't see, truth and lies, that is such a big thing in the movie. 

Bring Her Back is in theaters now from A24.

Main image: Jonah Wren Phillips in Bring Her Back. Photo by Ingvar Kenne. A24