399: Bring Her Back (2025)

SPEAKER_03 0:04

You eat it like fucking snack and bacon from Dunkin', you know? Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. Respect my fucking privacy. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

A total joke, a waste of time, or a slash.

SPEAKER_03 0:29

Totally killer, pun intended. We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we're rating these movies with the perspective we've gained from our varying walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the classic horror connoisseur Sean.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

People pay to talk to me.

SPEAKER_03 0:46

And the paranormal paramour Binks. I've spoken with an angel. This week we're talking about the latest film from the makers of Talk To Me.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

And if you support the show, you'll also get to hear our B side at the end of this episode, where we reflect on 399 episodes and get into some Talk To Me The Sequel predictions.

SPEAKER_03 1:05

Now it's been two years since we last discussed Talk To Me, and it was the directorial debut of the Australian Philippo brothers. While originally connected to a major video game adaptation, they stepped away to pursue the ambitious challenge of another original film in their home state of South Australia. They were inspired by the total unpredictability of Korean cinema and the unsettling intensity of psycho bitty horror. The brothers ultimately spent 41 days in production filming largely in chronological order, and fostered even a breakout performance from a central character who had no prior professional acting experience. And the end result is a story centered on a brother and sister adjusting to life with their new foster mother, only to discover something far more sinister unfolding behind closed doors. This week we're talking about Bring Her Back. What were you both expecting going into this?

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Man, I honestly didn't know what to expect going into this one. I honestly don't even remember seeing the trailer that much, if at all, like before I actually went to go watch this movie. But what I did hear was in the short time of like this being released, I feel like I watched it maybe a few days, maybe a week at most after it was released. And literally everyone I knew asking me if I had seen this movie yet. Was I gonna do this one for the podcast? So the hype was at an all-time high going into this one. I had people telling me they sat in their car in silence after watching this movie, that this was fucked up in a way that movies like Hereditary and Mid-Summar were. So I was kind of expecting this one to almost never be able to live up to what everyone was making it out to be, you know? But I was hoping. I was hoping it was gonna be as great as everyone said it was.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Yeah, absolutely. I feel the same way about the trailer. I don't think that I really watched it in full. Certainly, maybe some teasers or whatever had like been at the theaters, but even then I don't think that there was much. Certainly not a full trailer that I can recall, but I do remember that I wasn't able to see it like premiere night. I I think I went a few days after, but it was actually Chris that was voice noting me when she had left the theater just to get her insight on it because I had been looking forward to this film a lot. I really, really loved Talk to Me immensely. And I had just been itching to be able to see it. And I wasn't able to it that week, but hearing her thoughts on it and those expectations, I definitely assumed that we were gonna get the same kind of level of brutality, exploration of grief, just based off of the title and obviously knowing that Talk to Me explored that same theme. I figured we were just gonna get a little bit more of the paranormal side of things just from the movie poster. So I was piecing together just small bits here and there, was really hoping that it was going to be a little bit more serious than Talk to Me was, because although I really liked it a lot, it was a lot of like teenagers and like partying, and it was like this concept of a party drug, right? The paranormal. And although really, really good and effective, I wanted something that was like really, really deep that I can like bite into those characters, like really feel their pain. And yeah, I I felt it all right.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

Yeah, see, okay. This is uh a tricky thing to have built expectations for because I wasn't crazy about Talk to Me. There are so many things about Talk to Me that you can acknowledge as being objectively good, but it just simply was not my cup of tea. So going into this, I didn't really clock a lot of desire to watch it. And even watching the trailer, it seemed, okay, this is probably gonna be cool. It's probably gonna be brutal. And it seems intriguing enough to pique a lot of interest, but it wasn't something that I found particularly gripping. I think the Philippo brothers are doing some phenomenal work, and I think it's just not work that speaks to me personally. But what got me excited to see this movie in a really fucked up way was everybody talking about, oh, this is going to be so fucking sad. It's gonna be the feel-bad movie of the summer. This is like for the sad girl summers, you know what I mean? So going into this, I thought it feels like it's probably already gonna be so much more mature than Talk to Me. Not to say that that movie is immature, but Binks, you just pointed out it's about like party culture, even though it's about something much, much deeper than party culture.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

Yeah, because of the party culture, I feel like it had a lot of like com comedic undertones in there, you know?

SPEAKER_03 5:38

It did, it did. And where I I found myself was thinking, okay, is this gonna be another hereditary where there's so much hype that I'm gonna be impossibly disappointed? And then I kind of lowered my own bar because I'm like, listen, I didn't even really like talk to me very much. So regardless of if it is or it isn't, it shouldn't be that much of a big deal for me. I'm probably gonna have a good time. But listen, this is one of those movies, and listening to how other people react to this, this is one of those where as soon as it ends, you're probably gonna kind of have to sit there and ask yourself, why do I feel like I just got hit by a truck? But I didn't feel that. I acknowledge that everyone around me was feeling that. I get it, and I I did sit there and think, huh, that was a time. And it wasn't a bad time. I'm not again, this is like a very delicate balance here. But this movie is relentlessly heavy, and I respect it for that, but it's not a comfort horror kind of experience, and somehow, someway, it just didn't make me feel what I think I was supposed to feel, and I think this is a movie that's going to heavily impact specific people, depending on your life experiences, or maybe just how more emotionally raw you may be feeling. I think maybe I'm just like with levels of stress and everything else. Maybe I'm just a little numb to it right now. But this movie, despite there being a lack of emotional payoff for catharsis and no real highs to balance all the lows, I expected to feel so much more grief and t in tension, but I've ended up feeling way more detached than I thought I'd be. Enough I could still respect the movie, but it was a bizarre experience.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

I can resonate with that for sure. I think that this film is maybe like for people that enjoy feeling horror, like feeling the their own personal horror rather than just like being able to detach or are looking to kind of escape it, maybe. Because I think what happens is that there's a lot of horror films like this that they rely on people projecting their own experiences to kind of fuel the emotion and the empathy. I wouldn't say that this is necessarily there, but perhaps that is the case for others. You know, for me, not so much. I think it definitely unlocked Pandora's box easily. Uh I had definitely a very interesting viewing experience where some pieces felt like they weren't like clicking together initially at the very beginning. But as the film went on and I actually watched it twice, the second time around, I think that it really did the damage. I feel like raw, bleak, heavy, unsettling, those are like words that if that's not something that you're ready for or you're looking for in the film, then this is maybe not the avenue for you. Very different than talk to me, because I think talk to me can at the very least like has those highs and lows that you were talking about, because it's in like a little bit of that party setting that can provide that levity. Here it's like um it's a different kind of levity that's still uncomfortable, that's just not quite right and doesn't even seem like you should be feeling the levity of what's being displayed to you. So it's definitely confusing. It's a confusing film altogether. But if you feel or like have particular experiences that some of these characters have had, uh especially exploring like grief, witnessing uh traumatic events or surrounding death and grief, you know, abuse, that kind of stuff. I mean, again, very trigger warnings, like heavy topics here, heavy topics for sure. Um, if that's not something that you are prepared to watch on screen or like can relate to, it's not to say that this movie isn't for you. Just know that that's where a lot of these like this heaviness and this emotion is gonna probably come out of.

SPEAKER_03 9:36

I think something that's a relief to me about this movie is I was concerned hearing about the heavy topics and themes that are in this. I was concerned that this was gonna be a mediocre movie buried beneath intensity in terms of its themes, so that it would get up getting away with a lot more than it really deserved to. And I don't think that's the case here. This movie is really well executed, but some of it's just a little bit weird for me. And again, I'm I'm just gonna keep repeating this because I have some opinions on this movie that are certainly not gonna, I think, be the most popular opinions, but it's not to discredit it. I think it's just to almost like balance the scales here of like you're either gonna feel fucking nothing or you're gonna feel fucking everything. And I feel like there's very little middle ground here.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Yeah. It is interesting because I mean, just hearing like the thoughts that you two have, like, it makes me feel like I had a really fucked up childhood because there were definitely many feelings that were going on while watching this movie, because like for me, it was an emotional and psychological roller coaster. Like it was the themes that this movie explores, like, is one thing, and and it doesn't like it, it doesn't take away from like the feeling of how like I enjoyed watching the movie, but it was just so much to take in. And I don't know, to your point, like trigger warnings and stuff, you have to I don't know if it's good to know about it ahead of time or not, but this movie, like you both said, it explores grief, it explores trauma, abuse. There's also this like occult aspect added in there as a bonus. And so, like, the best way I can describe how I felt while watching this one is that throughout this entire film, there were moments that I feel like I knew I was like I knew something was gonna happen. I almost didn't want to see the moments that were gonna happen, but like I saw them and like I stayed with them. You know what I mean? I was feeling like I I knew that I was gonna see something I didn't want to see, and sure enough, I saw something I didn't want to see, and I just couldn't like not see what I didn't want to see, you know what I mean? And we stayed there sometimes for so long that it became uncomfortable to watch. And man, this film also felt uncomfortably real. So I think that's the difference because to both of what you kind of both the points that both of you said, right? And this is like me, like my heart's like moving quick, like talking about this, because it is gonna be like what you've gone through, right? What you've gone through in your childhood, it was very triggering, I think, for me for a lot of reasons, not only for events that have just happened in my life recently, but also it brought me back to some really distinct memories of my childhood. So if you've experienced any kind of abuse, if you've been through foster care situations, just be prepared that this movie can bring you back to those experiences in your life, and it it could be a lot to deal with.

SPEAKER_03 12:32

That is deeply profound, and I think that's just the reality here. Like, this is a show that's built on the idea that horror is for everyone, but not every horror is for everyone. And there's a lot of things that speak to people in different ways, right? So, like for me, 20 years later hit me differently emotionally than I think it hit you all. Uh, his house hit me differently emotionally than it hit a lot of you all, thinking about like even some of the traumatic shit that I've been through. So I hate that you had to watch this and feel the intensity of these things, Sean. But I'm glad that you're here to talk about it and that you're open to sharing a little bit about it. Something that I thought of as you're describing that, it is the I know something's gonna happen if I keep watching. Oh fuck, I don't want to see it, but I I gotta keep watching. I saw it and now I can't stop thinking about having seen it. It feels like an emotional gut punch. And the I think equivalent that I can kind of like make that in my mind is let's say you're find yourself in you're finding yourself about to ask the question that you don't want an answer to. You know what I mean? And this is like completely like the topic of the example I'm about to give pales in comparison, and this is in no way a minimization of the themes of what this movie is talking about. But for me, I would think about like, oh, is my partner cheating on me? Should I look through their phone and find evidence that they are? You know what I mean? It's that kind of like fuck, you cannot unring that bell, you cannot know. I'm not a person who fucking looks through phones specifically because like that would devastate me and I don't want to know. But when you look at things like that, it is the inevitability of sorrow and despair. And that's where I think this movie plays, and it is it's just a wild time.

SPEAKER_02 14:14

And it's something that I was extremely surprised by, extremely surprised by because I feel like for me, I know that I was expecting this, but I didn't expect it to go the way that it did and to impact me the way that it did, especially on my second watch. I can't wait to share a little bit more in a bit, like what happened exactly because it it felt like I got ran over by a train, and then some, and I was blown to smithereens. And to your point, Chris, about like horror in general, I think that's the beauty of this genre. We talk about it every so often, but it's funny how some of these films we watch in particular moments in our lives, Sean, you had mentioned, especially like with what's been you know going on in your life recently, etc. Like it's crazy how these particular films find their way into our lives at particular times. And that's why I say like horror is so beautiful because it really could be for everyone in a different way. And it could be that it like ties with you emotionally and just brings out like the subconscious and maybe makes you face a couple of things that you don't want to face and open a little bit of that subconscious and Pandora's box, and you realize, like, damn, I still gotta heal or whatever. Other times you feel like so detached and like that wall is set up that it's just like maybe doesn't feel anything. It could be that it's just not your kind of movie, too. It could be that it's just not your interest, you know? Because sometimes those exact things that I just described can happen to people from watching like camp horror or like bee horrors that I typically like make fun of or are just like, all right, they're a goofy time or whatever. And I say all of this to say that with this film in particular, I still feel like even though you might feel like a little bit like, oh, I don't know if I'm ready to cry or like want to put myself through this test of watching this film or feel these feelings, I would still encourage maybe giving it a shot because I was pleasantly surprised at the very least by the beauty of this film too. It depicts a lot of the darkest things in such a beautiful way that makes you feel confused, even at that, at what you're watching, some of the scenes, some of the moments of dialogue, what what feels like a very somber moment is captured so beautifully in like the most incredible stills. So don't feel too dissuade by the fact that, like, you know, I was sobbing or whatever watching this movie, or that maybe it's just like a little bit too dark for your tastes. You might find that it's also just like a pretty good, like visual film that's like classic, you know, gritty, dark in terms of like the gore and stuff too. Like it's not just the theme that could maybe be a little too much for you, but it could just be enough to get you to watch the film.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

Yeah, this is a wild experience of a movie, and it's a curious one because for the majority of the movie, I was kind of like, okay, all right. Mm-hmm. And again, it was just like the numb of just like, okay, we're gonna sit here and you know be forced to confront some of the worst moments in someone's life and just see their pain on screen, and just like when there's enough going on, it's like, ah, do I really want to do that? And then when this shifts harder into a horror movie that is not solely an emotional horror movie, it hits different, right? I didn't expect this to be significantly better than Talk to Me, but I expected it to appeal to me differently, and I think it did in some ways, right? Because it's tighter, it's more confident, it's definitely more mature. But one of the biggest surprises I had was how bold it gets with a body horror, especially because I had been so disappointed that we didn't get more of the tape action. I really thought that the way this movie begins and the way it's kind of marketed in the trailers, I thought there was gonna be a lot more of the culty kind of like mysterious tape situation. I didn't even know how to articulate or like really receive that in my mind prior to walking into the theater. But this movie shifts to a horror movie in a very different way that is still very connected to that. And I think that is what really saved the movie in some ways for me. Because despite the fact that I think the cast knocked it out of the park and they did delivered exceptional performances, there's something about this movie emotionally that does not click, and it just feels like, okay, you want me to have a bad time? Thanks, I'm already having a bad time. I'm gonna move on now. But as a horror movie, it's like I saw some shit in here, and I know I just said this in the 28 years later episode. There is a moment in here that I was like, fuck, it's giving a little Arthur clown.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

Yeah, I mean, you're not wrong, and I think the interesting thing is that I it the depth of this movie, I think that's what surprised me most about this movie was the depth of the film. I think the storytelling in this movie was surprisingly good because it does take several twists and turns that almost reframe what you thought you were watching, right? Like it definitely moves around like that. And I know on one end I can say that the emotional weight of this movie, the brutal gore that finds its way into this film, could be surprising, right? But not really. I I gotta say, I was much more caught off guard by how many layers this movie had because it was almost like psychological warfare. You think like it's about one thing and then it isn't, right? And maybe that was the beauty of knowing nothing about the actual plot or the story going into it. But this movie, I think it built horror in a very slow way. It is, in its own right, it is a slow burn without feeling like it's a slow pace for me. And that's how I can kind of describe that. At least at first, it's it's kind of a slow burn. This is a movie that is, I think, deeply horrific. I think it's full of emotional dread. I think it's full of disturbing imagery and violence and gore that makes you want to look away or even just like get the reaction of like covering your mouth. You know what I mean? There are those moments, and I think that's the kind of horror that kind of sits with you for a while.

SPEAKER_03 20:15

It sure does sit with you, and I'll tell you what, there's a lot of shit in this movie that sat with me, but none of it was how particularly frightening it was. It was just more like, oh shit, some of these moments kind of crazy to see in a horror movie, and that's it. The what this movie I think leaves you with is more of the maybe existential crisis, maybe the exploitation of your emotions and your grief and your trauma, and less of what I would say would be a traditional horror, like, is this movie scary experience? But I will say this. I saw this with Allie and her son, and he's gone to several horror movies with us recently. I know, I know. We so we got the ticket, and we weren't exactly sure what the movie and the vibe was gonna be about, and we only got it because we're just we weren't sure A if she was gonna be with her son that day, and then also B, if he was gonna be able to like go somewhere else to watch the m or just like while we're in the movie. So he came and he is very good about like just detaching from some reality and understanding all the shit is fake and it's not a thing, right? He's very unaffected by these things and he likes to talk about the movies. His first horror movie was Nightmare on Elm Street, so seeing Tina up against the roof, the ceiling of a room, kind of crazy. But this movie was too much for him. And it was right before shit even got bad. It was like we get you know the cantaloupe when you see it. As soon as that cantaloupe moment started, before it got any worse, he was like, Alright, I'm out. He was like watching something on his phone, like with headphones or like playing a game on silent underneath a blanket in the movie theater. Couldn't do it. So maybe not for the faint of heart.

SPEAKER_02 21:53

Definitely not for the faint of heart. I cannot stress that enough. I cannot stress that. Enough. I re oh my god. Yeah, it's it's a doozy, folks. It's a doozy. It's definitely like a horror fright situation based on how you're going to feel, like in your bones, and like the cringe reaction. It's not a jump scare situation. Okay. It's definitely like witnessing things that you don't want to see. You mentioned it, Sean. It's like you can't help but watch, but I really wish I could look away.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

It forces you in those moments.

SPEAKER_02 22:30

It sure does. It sure does. And it's also like the paranormal, supernatural, occult kind of section subgenre of this film. Uh it relies a lot on like sound design too, that's deeply disturbing. So you can't even escape that. It feels like very suffocating in that way, even though very brief, because like you know, Chris mentioned, it's there's brief moments of that. I wish we did get maybe a little bit more, but I can see why we didn't. I think there's like a different focus, and I'm fine with it. But what we do see right from the jump is a lot. It's like a it's very much like a horror that like wounds you. And you leave the theater feeling like, oh, I got hit with a lot of things, whether it be emotionally, whether it be like visually in terms of some of the gory shit that's gonna be on screen. It's a lot, but entertaining. I'll give it that. One way or another.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

Entertaining is such a specific word for this movie.

SPEAKER_02 23:23

It's such a specific word. You're right. Maybe it's a little that's a little too like light and like fun.

SPEAKER_03 23:29

But girl, if you like it, if it's entertaining to you, it's entertaining. Stand by it, it's fine.

SPEAKER_02 23:33

I don't know if like I was entertained with how much I was like ugly crying, last one in the theater, my friend being like, Bianca, we have to go. You're like, I think you're causing a scene. Um, but I will say, like, at the very least, you bring up such a good point in terms of like the when it becomes like a horror film, like in in the way that we might expect with the typical like blueprints and the beats of a horror film, it does it real well too. So don't be afraid of like jump scares or whatever, but do be very afraid of some of the visual things that you will see, gory or not. If you're queasy, look away, folks. Maybe this movie is just never gonna be for you. Yeah, yeah, it's wild.

SPEAKER_03 24:14

It sure is wild. And I think what's also wild is just like the genetic makeup of this movie. Looking back to Talk to Me, Talk To Me was a movie where a girl loses her mother and she's processing grief in so many different ways. Talk the hit the hand with which they talk to the entities are is almost treated like a party drug, right? Yeah, or is almost treated like a party drug. The first movie. Yeah. So this is not centuries of horror, obviously evolution of their work and again examining and processing how we cope with grief and what we feel. And when we think of the lengths people go to bring some sort of closure or peace in the face of loss, or carry on with their lives after, again, nothing original in that vein. But the way this movie approaches it and the things that it does, it makes that desperation feel all the more desperate. And then it collides with two kids just trying to survive and make it in the world, and it doesn't hold back from that. This is a movie with zero aftercare. Let's just be clear. You're gonna go in feeling whatever, you're gonna walk out feeling bad, and there's nothing you can do about it, or you might feel a little emotionally numb to it, and then you're still gonna be thinking, well, like, yeah, that's kind of fucked up. This is a different experience in that regard.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

Yeah. I mean, it's true, kind of like the way I felt about it too. Like, even though this movie draws on some familiar genre elements, it doesn't feel familiar as a as a whole, right? Like it's it's definitely the way that this story kind of unfolds, the way it's slowly revealed. I think, man, it it definitely feels original from that standpoint. I think without giving too much of the plot away, right? This movie has that occult, that supernatural element to it. But unlike many of those types of films, this one centers on things like what we're talking about, grief or emotional breakdowns more than those like supernatural tropes. So if you, you know, you may think you're going into something that's supernatural, that's about you know, occult y type of things, and you may think in your head about a a dozen of those types of movies, but I can guarantee you that's not what you're gonna watch here.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

Yeah, absolutely. I think that this film, instead of being extremely cliche with like paranormal subgenre, it it instead shows the aftermath of such a world where there is access to do such things. So it's an emphasis on the people that use these rituals or occult, you know, things, right? To get that closure, like you mentioned, Chris. And I think that felt pretty new to me, or at least at the very least, it's been a while since we've seen it, or it doesn't feel like as recent to me right now. It's not new, of course not. But like I think it's always so interesting to see this kind of unraveling of characters when they are in desperation. And I think that that is something that as humans we like face every single fucking day. And when it comes to grief in particular, it's so nuanced and and it's so complicated, it's so painful, and we still have such a problem and struggle of how to like vocalize that pain that I think that that's why I enjoy horror films that kind of do that for me, you know? And still to this day, it's still very difficult to talk about loss. And I feel like when I watch films like this, I I feel like it kind of does the trick for me. It kind of speaks to that pain. And so this was done so well that it feels fresh, it feels different. I think also another thing that we typically see in horror is like sibling dynamics, right? Every now and then, like we get that sibling dynamics we kind of just saw right now with Final Destination bloodlines, right? And so such a different fucking movie. But, you know, the dynamics of siblings is so incredible because it's like a relationship that you have to have because you're related, but you don't necessarily have to align constantly with everything. You know, it's someone that you have to build that relationship with when they're at a closer, like usually a closer age range than you and you suffer through similar things. And I think siblings are are an incredible relationship to like analyze in this particular film, the things that they go through together and the stories and the characters that impact the way that they are is so different than Talk to Me. It's so different than a couple other dynamics with siblings and horror films that we've seen. And it's like really deep. If you've got a sibling also, like and and you've gone through something like this too, I don't know. Maybe it'll hit you. I I feel like it did for me personally, or maybe it won't, maybe it'll build like a different appreciation to an extent. But yeah, it's it's a lot of like little things that make up this movie that I feel like are really, really fresh. And to that point, I think it kind of carries through all the way to the ending. The ending, I felt like was the emotional like core of the movie. Like it's so great how you put it, Chris. Like, friends, you're gonna go in feeling one kind of way, but I can guarantee you you're gonna leave that movie feeling like holy shit. One way or another, whether you've seen some things that you didn't expect to see or you felt some things you weren't expecting to feel. I think it's kind of like a collapse of all the different feelings that you're going to encounter one way or another, whether you dismiss them or you don't, and it's all in one moment. And visually, art can't say it better than that. Artwork.

SPEAKER_03 30:01

Yeah. You know, because you're talking there about the sibling angle. I was thinking about how often I feel differently in movies based on being the youngest of five and thinking about like my older siblings. And I think this movie has a lot of duality in that. It's gonna hit you one way if you're an older sibling, it's gonna hit you one way if you're a younger sibling. And there is a lot in there that even I think speaks to the helplessness or the feeling of having a lack of a voice. There is a lot in there that even I think craving to be understood. Inevitable tragedy. And it again, I respect this movie on an intellectual level. I just wish it actually fucking made me feel something. And maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I just like it was not emotionally available to this movie. Maybe this movie and I had a date and it never wants to call me again. I don't know. But I do think that there is a semblance of emptiness in this movie at its ending, and yes, it it does tie into the beginning and thinking about as you described being the emotional core and like it's the whole thesis of the film. However, it's just an ending that I was not happy with. And again, not from a logistics standpoint, but just like a fuck. I just I don't like it. There's a lot in this movie, I just don't like this movie, but I respect it.

SPEAKER_00 31:24

Yeah, it is interesting, and I can't wait to unpack some of this a little bit more. But like the ending, I feel like is just as harrowing as the rest of the movie. I feel like one part of me like wants to feel good that there was this resolution for one of the characters, but another part of me feels the amount of trauma and grief that will undoubtedly build and affect some of these characters. And so it doesn't really feel like resolution at all. Like, I don't feel good about how we ended here, but it is super harrowing. It's a very impactful ending, and I and I think it's an ending that's fitting for the tone of this film for sure.

SPEAKER_03 32:03

Well, I can't wait to see how all this ambiguity is gonna translate into our ratings. I'm sure we can all see where this is going a mile away, but before we actually get there, Sean, how would you describe the gore score?

SPEAKER_00 32:15

Yeah, I guess let me tell you about the gore in this movie, because it's not that it's not that it's like an extremely gory movie. It's not like gore for the sake of gore, right? Like it's not that kind of gore, but it's it's actually strategic with the violence and the gore in this movie, which makes each moment feel brutal and meaningful. You know, it's pain, it's trauma, and you feel every cut in this movie. And I want to give this a high gore score, but I don't know if it's like entirely fair because it also I think you can argue medium or high in from this angle. Because, but here's why I think it's a high gore score, right? This is where I'm gonna settle with this because there's this level of gore in this movie that is less of actual violence and gory kills, and it shows you a lot of like harming children, the desecration of a body, the context in which like we see this stuff makes the gore feel like it's a lot to take in. So it should be. I feel like because it has a couple of really brutal moments. I feel like it it in any other movie with any other tone, I'd put it at like a medium or a medium high, but this feels kind of fucking high.

SPEAKER_03 33:29

It does make me wonder if at the end of the year it will be this or weapons with the worst sensation of fuck them kids.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_03 33:40

Because this movie just feels mean about it, you know? And what about the animal report?

SPEAKER_02 33:44

Well, wish I could say the animals are safe as well, but not even them. It's the occult, folks. You know, sacrifices have to be made.

SPEAKER_03 33:52

Well, let's go ahead and get into our ratings then. Bring her back from 2025. Was it a hack or a slash? And I'm gonna get mine out of the way because it's actually gonna be pretty brief. This movie is one of those that I respect and just do not like. And I say that with a lot of love and a lot of healthy, you go do your thing. We're not meant to be together, but I admire what you're trying to do. This movie is something I never want to revisit. Maybe if I was more emotionally available, I'd revisit it and be devastated. But I think even if I did that and like fully open myself up, I don't think that I ever want to again have the experience of going through this entire movie. It didn't hit me in the heart the way that I had hoped. And maybe I'm lucky for it. Sean, I know that you're still thinking about this movie for very deep reasons, and maybe it is my privilege of not having lived through the experiences that you lived through that is remote that is keeping me from being emotionally open to this movie. But where this movie shines and why this is still a very strong slash is Soral Wong and the entire cast and the incredible performances they put in. This movie is brutal in a very creative way with its story and it earns it. It's not my thing, yes, but it's fucking great at what it's trying to do. And I know in my heart that this is objectively just like a solid movie. So yeah, it's a slash with an asterisk because I never want to see it again. But damn, you gotta give credit where credit's due.

SPEAKER_02 35:20

I love that. I love that. Couldn't agree more. For me, I have an interesting tale, and it's actually great that I follow up right after you because I mentioned that I've watched this movie twice. So here's the thing. When I first watched this movie, I had actually had made plans to see it again the following day with my mother. What a choice, folks. So I got there a little late and I thought, oh, well, the trailers are gonna be going on, I think I'll be fine. Go in. Trailers had passed because apparently AMC rolled back those trailers and the movie starts after five minutes. Who the fuck knows? But I said, ah, well, I'm gonna watch the movie again tomorrow. I'm really hungry. Let me go get fucking concessions like an idiot. I went and I missed the first 15 minutes of the movie. Okay. Clown behavior, folks, clown behavior. Because what happened, as you could only imagine, the rest of the time that I watched a movie was that I felt not nearly as much as I did the second time around. Very similar to Chris. I felt like I spent a majority of the time knowing I was watching a really good movie, but feeling like I was trying to piece together this puzzle that I like fell right into at the middle. I missed a lot of the context and exposition. I felt like I was this particular scene from the trailer where the little boy, his name's Oliver, he is watching from the outside in the dark. He's watching the rest of the characters inside this house partying. That was me. I left that movie theater the first time around, feeling like, the fuck? I'm not feeling what everyone's feeling. I I don't understand. Aside from the fact that I felt like, okay, that was an incredible movie. I felt empathy. I felt the pain, but something just wasn't getting to me. I I almost felt like my subconscious was like, girl, you don't want to feel this right now. You're not ready. Your insurance hasn't kicked in for therapy. Like, I don't think it's the right time. I said, forget you. We're gonna watch it again. And it was the second time that, as I mentioned earlier, I was weeping like a crazy person because the thing about this film is that, like we've shared Agnauseum, it highlights a ton of angles of things that we don't talk a lot about because they are very heavy in nature. And I think that if it's something that unfortunately you can relate to, you don't always want to talk about those things or feel them. And so, like I've already shared, like I just have I like horror films that do it for me. And this tapped into a couple things that we haven't even talked about yet that are very subliminal, very subliminal and have to do with the character development that the Philippo brothers decided to invest in this time around. And so, all that to say, I think that no matter how you go into this movie, I think to Chris's point, right? Even like the differences between me and Sean and how we've talked about this movie so far and Chris, you go into this movie and I think you can still get something out of it, whether it be an appreciation of how it's done visually, whether it be an appreciation of like, damn, fuck them kids a little bit, you know, like in terms of the gore. If it's the like, wow, this is talking about something really profound in grief, maybe you feel like you're like projecting a lot of what you're going through at the time. And I love films that do that. I I feel like I I wish that we had more of them all the time where we can get this sense of community together, leaving the theater or watching this film and talking about things that we find uncomfortable to talk about. So I say all that to say that if you're wanting like a funny, goofy time and you are used to the Philippo brothers being rock a rock on YouTube, like folks, that is not them when it comes to film. They, like most comedians out there in the world, they have dark senses of humor. They've gone through things and see the world in a different light, and this film is no different in terms of talking about that. So I obviously find it to be an extreme slash, definitely high up there in terms of some of my favorite films in horror. Absolutely, it's it's climbed a ladder. But if hopefully you'll find it entertaining for you, again, asterisk on the entertaining and your definition of it, but hopefully you would find something to take away out of it, or at the very least, a little bit curious about watching this film, despite all of our disclaimers.

SPEAKER_00 39:38

Yeah, I mean, bring her back for me. It wasn't even just like a horror film. We've been talking about it's an emotional sucker punch. Somebody said gut punch, it's a psychological gut punch. Like there's so much happening in this film. From the first few minutes, it pulls you into this world filled with grief. And I don't think it really ever lets go, right? It doesn't ever let you go. For anyone who's ever experienced loss or navigated the broken foster care system or even felt like the pain of losing someone that you really just can't protect. This film is going to hit you really fucking hard. The scares are not cheap in this movie. Like the gore feels specific and intentional. There is a scene of self-harm that is probably one of the most graphically disturbing moments I've seen in quite some time, but it's like the quiet moments that I think are truly devastating in this movie. We get incredible performances from Sally Hawkins and the children in this movie for sure. Like, I think for me personally, it was how close to home this felt while watching it, though, because you're not just reacting to like what you see, but you're also reacting to why it's happening. You know what I mean? Like, there's there's a double-edged sword here, and it's the sadness that I think really truly haunts you, not a creature, right? It's literally the sadness. It's not a monster, it's not a creature. It was more emotionally damaging than talk to me, for sure. And I think it's just rare for horror movies to make or make it's just rare for horror to feel this personal, at least for me. And so, like, for me, it has to be a slash. It has to be.

SPEAKER_03 41:22

Well, there you have it, folks. Bring her back from 2025 has earned a universal slash. Now, there is a lot to unpack in just a moment when we get through our spoiler break. We are going to dive into the logistics of this story, the elements, and the diving into the themes and the disclaimers that we've given. And we're also going to unpack these incredible performances from its cast. You can find a link to watch this movie down in our show notes. Check it out, then join us in the second half to dive deeper. See you in a bit.

SPEAKER_00 42:08

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SPEAKER_03 43:56

Now we have a lot to unpack here, but before we get into the specifics of our Let's go through those kills.

SPEAKER_00 44:02

Well, it's certainly not going to be the amount of kills that we get in this movie because there really is only six, including flashbacks and found footage and things like that that we get to see. But damned if almost every single kill in this movie felt so impactful and so heartbreaking. And I cannot wait to hear what you all thought about them. So let's just get into them. Which one of these kills brought you back?

SPEAKER_02 44:26

Alright, here we go. Should we rock paper scissors for it? Rock, paper, scissors. No, you can't. Just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 44:32

You saw it twice, so.

SPEAKER_02 44:33

Yeah. So I my god. Also, just to see that movie twice back to back, by the way. Wait, update on that. I obviously told my mother afterwards that I was not going to see this movie with her. And I ended up going with my same best friend that I went the first time around. Because if my mother had seen that film, Nasan would have not been the move. I can't even say best kill because it was definitely the most devastating, made me want to throw up, was Andy's death. Because for me, I think that the first time around, yes, it sucked to see, but I missed the first 15 minutes of the movie. And I felt like I obviously met missed like the biggest context to their relationship as siblings. I didn't even realize that they were siblings until a little bit later that like they were talking about the dad. I missed the scene about the dad dying, by the way. So oh my God, I'm never doing that again. So the first time around watching him die, like yeah, I I felt and it was sad. But then when I saw how much he was trying to protect her, the trauma that he was facing, just everything. It that death felt so personal and so like rough to witness because I I feel like Andy is a character, he's just someone who feels so small in the wake of like everything that he's facing internally and the trauma and the PTSD of what he's witnessed, and obviously the abuse that he faced. And then it's a small puddle, a shallow puddle that suffocates him. He drowns. It's absolutely terrible. And I gotta, I gotta admit that when he drowned, even with that small puddle, for a split second there, I was like, is this bitch going to use him instead as the vessel? I that would have been a little outlandish in a reach. My mind couldn't help but go there. But I I almost thought, like, no, then I'm gonna start screaming and hollering in this theater. It was it was devastating.

SPEAKER_03 46:33

I hoped in my heart that it was a little bit of a fake out from him. But then of course, when we see his very dead body later, it's like fuck man, the disrespect in this household. It was too much. And then to obviously see Piper's reaction, knowing that it's him and feeling him, it was absolutely crushing, absolutely devastating. Andy was the most prominent kill in this movie, but I'm gonna go for a runner-up, which was Wendy, because Andy dying in the wake of the betrayal of hope. He had fought so hard to get someone to listen, and finally someone listened, and finally someone actually wanted to take action for him and for Piper, and it was devastating to see that right there on the cusp of a better future, both of their lives are just extinguished.

SPEAKER_00 47:22

Yeah. I mean, is it bad to say that I almost felt the most okay with Wendy's death?

SPEAKER_02 47:28

Not bad at all. No, because she's just like definitely the side character.

SPEAKER_00 47:33

Well, no, it's not even from a side character standpoint. You know, selfishly, I'm thinking like, okay, she came around, but as a social worker, she didn't do enough check-ins to really catch this, and that's the then that's the problem, I think, with foster care is like they don't do enough of their own homework because like it's it's people that have gone through it, you've gone through it. I've gone through foster care before for a brief period of time in my childhood, and I can tell you firsthand, like, it's a fucked up situation, it's a super fucked up situation. And so, like, for me, I know that she's probably not even a bad person as a character, right? I don't think she's meant to come off as a bad person, but the fact that this even was something that was happening is just bullshit, and so it made me almost feel like I don't want to say rooting for her death, but I was like, okay, I think she kind of she may have had to pay the price for this one.

SPEAKER_02 48:25

You know, no, it makes complete sense. And I think it's to the point that we keep bringing up where it's like if there's gonna be aspects of this film that feel personal that are going to like make you feel that particular way based off of what you experienced, because I think even for anyone else, it's like, okay, she eventually came around, like she should have done more check-ins, but like you feel that a little bit more passionately if you are aware of how it should go, like how the system should go, the check-in process and and what like social workers do in their day-to-day, that unfortunately, like I'm privileged enough to say that I'm not entirely aware of, right? So I didn't know to what degree she would have been aware of what she actually realistically could have done.

SPEAKER_01 49:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:04

All despite the fact that at the end of the day, just because L Laura, or I almost said it in Spanish, of course, Miami girl, Laura had been a social worker herself, I guess, and had been working in the system, had been a friend of hers, like cared.

SPEAKER_01 49:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:19

That you're just gonna ad admit like she would never. That's not real, obviously, right?

SPEAKER_00 49:25

Yeah, for sure. So, yeah, I mean, that's selfishly. I'm like, okay, whatever, Wendy, you can go. But uh, yeah, I mean, obviously, the most impactful death in this one was like literally in the first few minutes when the dad does die, because obviously it was an unexpected thing for the kids, and it's not even that you like linger in that for long enough, like you obviously feel the impact that these kids have lost their dad, they don't have anyone, they're now in foster care, it's a fucked up situation, but like it also obviously just hit me for other reasons because I had all I have also just lost my father just a few months ago from this movie being like from me while sitting down to watch this movie. So I'm like sitting there first few minutes and I see them go through this, and I'm like, man, yep, that sucks. You know what I mean? Like, fuck.

SPEAKER_02 50:10

Yeah, I didn't realize that they actually showed the scene until I I saw it the second time, and I was like, oh my god. And it's like the again, this is the talk to me was the same, the second time, where it's like they find them, and that's that's also uh like another deeper cut, right? That's a deeper layer of the pain because it's one thing to lose someone, and I think it's it's also just as profound if not even more when you find them, and especially at childhood. I have two of my best friends have been in similar situations, they were impacted by Talk to Me specifically for that reason. And I think it's when they when the Philippo brothers decide to do that too and add that element, it's like they know that they're talking to a particular kind of pain or sub-pain, we can say, and trauma. That's just like it's too much. And I'm almost glad that it was as brief as it was because it felt like a lifetime that we were there in that scene, and I can't imagine any more of it would have been a little too much for me.

SPEAKER_03 51:10

And you know what, Sean? Also, shout out to you for enduring this movie on the heels in the wake of everything you've been dealing with on your in your life, and also on a night that you weren't even planning to see it. You only went to see it that night because we rescheduled a recording.

SPEAKER_01 51:25

That's true. I was like, well, let me go hop into this movie. Jesus. Like grand old time. Dive right in. Yep. Let me unwind.

SPEAKER_02 51:35

Let me unwind. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 51:38

Yeah, let me decompress. Listen, the thing about this movie, especially with how brutal and how intense it is, is you also have Oliver's self-mutilation, and then it feels like some auto-cannibalism, you know, thinking about the tearing of the flesh and just like feeding on himself almost. And that's where I just want to highlight how incredible the sound design is in this movie. Because damn, the knife in the mouth, the chomping on it, the flesh tearing from his arm. God, it was fucking chilling.

SPEAKER_02 52:13

Was that that was the art the clown for you kind of moment? Like the terrifier.

SPEAKER_03 52:17

Yeah, just like the the the peeling of the skin specifically. The peeling of the skin.

SPEAKER_02 52:21

The peeling of the skin. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 52:23

I not that it's like exactly terrifier, but it's definitely art the clown's vibe. It's just a peel some skin and like you eat it like fucking snack and bacon from Duncan, you know?

SPEAKER_02 52:32

For sure. That and eating the table, I think it yeah. The self-mutilation was so extreme. But then also, I feel like eating Kathy was very like odd to like witness. It felt like I was watching like a monster take hold a little bit. You know what I mean? Like it felt almost like I wasn't even watching a supernatural film at that point or paranormal film at that point. It was just like a scene that felt like almost like Nosferatu type, where it's just in a way where it feels like I caught him in the act eating a human, but then it's like a frozen dead corpse. It was just like the most bizarre, like disgusting thing to witness. Because like I guess for Kathy specifically, like I I mean, she's dead, but we don't necessarily see the fall. We don't see anything, right? We know that she's drowned, and what we mostly see of her obviously is post. And even then, like knowing that she's being fed on by like obviously this demon-possessed, you know, Ollie or or Connor, really, it's just like feels wrong. It feels so wrong.

SPEAKER_00 53:39

It's it is like it's gotta be like one of the I don't even know the word to describe it. Like wrong, yeah, wrong is a good way to put it. It just feels like one of the most invasive ways of like possession, you know what I mean? It just feels so intense. Like it doesn't feel like we're watching like you know, just like some demon that's decided to fuck somebody's life up, you know what I mean? It just feels like the most evil, like dark, like desecration, like it's just what the fuck, man. You know?

SPEAKER_02 54:12

Definitely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 54:14

It's the process, the length of the process. And like, we still I don't even know if we like they hint at like the whole like process of like she's mimicking this film or whatever that she has, right? But this ritual that's on this film, and it's just I'm interested to see if they it like if we ever got to explore a little bit more of that.

SPEAKER_03 54:35

Yeah, I was initially disappointed when watching this movie that this movie wasn't more of that or like the creation of it, or even an expansion of the first scene in the film where we have someone actually making a tape. But one thing I do want to give them credit for is realizing in retrospect just how everything else plays out. Or as vague as it was, I still picked up on what she was doing. As soon as obviously we then get her into the bedroom and then she's looking at the tape and watching what's happening. You don't quite know exactly where things are going in terms of the exact plan, or rather, who Ollie is specifically, but it becomes very easy to follow along and pick up on what they're what what she is attempting in the long run.

SPEAKER_02 55:22

Yeah, they do a really good job of keeping everything still like mysterious and keeping your curiosity going. We never even really see Kathy's face in the clips of the tapes that she took, etc. And I think also even with the tapes of the occults, similar to Talk to Me, they are clearly trying to say that it's not about the origin stories of these things like a typical paranormal horror film would be. It's about what happens to the people that come into contact with those things and the lengths that they'll go to when they have them at their disposal. So as long as, to your point, as long as they can kind of just visualize enough to explain the steps in which you have to use these things, the rest is like inconsequential. Like it's just not important, right? And there's no need to get into it. Because then we could kind of see how a ton of other horror films have gone about it, where it's like trying to find the origin story of the cult or trying to find a way to break the curse and blah blah blah. I think it's kept very like self-explanatory, but I think for sure, I mean, obviously didn't happen in terms of favorite kills, but if all Oliver I mean, slash Connor, I guess, like if he had actually like died, yeah, man, that would have been another one that would have killed me because I'm surprised he didn't die with all the shit he went through. Oh my god, no, I know. It's one of those situations where like the obviously the trauma alone, the trauma alone post what he's experienced is going to be catastrophic. But he's like another character that when in that ending, when you see that he obviously like cleared that salt barrier and like or paint really uh had crossed that barrier, and he's just like screaming and screaming and screaming, and then his his voice, his poor voice, asking for help and saying his name, oh, broke my heart both times. So sad.

SPEAKER_03 57:23

When he crossed that barrier, I really thought he was just taking himself out of town. You know what I mean? I really thought he was just saying, all right, I'm choosing uh I'm choosing to be done with this. But to know then that he ends up surviving and just the possession is undone, little commanzy undo. Possession is additionally devastating, is it that he could have been how close to being free had Laura and Piper not come home at that exact moment when he was there screaming and how with Andy. If Andy was successful in just getting him in the fucking not come home going to the hospital, things would have played out entirely differently for everybody involved.

SPEAKER_00 58:04

So true.

SPEAKER_03 58:05

I come home absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 58:07

And I didn't even like it's the little things that I didn't even catch, even when he was back in the room with her asking, like, who are you? and such. I I didn't quite piece together what was actually going on in that moment the first time around. And maybe that was just me still fucking trying to piece together the whole damn movie. But I think you bring such a good point. What would have been better almost? And I hate to say it like that, but like, what would have been better? Maybe him being free of his agony in that way, or or maybe now getting a second chance, but then having to live with the things that he's yeah done, you know? And well, he not that maybe he would even remember, but I look at his body, right? Ugh.

SPEAKER_00 58:47

It's bad. I mean, if nothing else, the trauma of that dental bill is gonna be fucking brutal for that kid, let me tell you.

SPEAKER_02 58:54

Oh, we got insurance.

SPEAKER_00 58:55

But yeah, I mean, I gotta give it up also to the makeup and effects team because I feel like it it is for the gore in a way, but kind of like what I was talking about earlier during the gore score. It was like the decomposing body of Laura's daughter and how horrif horrifically tragic that was. And it was also the progression of how Ollie or Connor, I should say, right, was just so well done because as we're talking about all the shit that this kid went through, the slow progression of the possession process or the transfer process or whatever the fuck is happening there, I guess we can call it some form of possession, I guess. But the way he looked as he became progressively worse over the course of the film, the incubation period or the demon or whatever the fuck was inside of his belly as he like brought, you know, like all of that shit, it just looked so gnarly, and just you gotta give it up for what they were able to do to like depict the progression of all of that, but also the makeup and effects for even some of those really brutal moments when he is like trying to fucking woodchuck the shit out of that table, you know what I mean? Like brutal. That moment also brings me back to talk to me when when the kid is like bashing his fucking head into the table, too. Like it's a very similar like moment that you're it's like hard to watch, you know what I mean? But you have to watch.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:16

Yeah, yeah. You really slapped us with a how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:23

I needed to look away. I needed to look away at that scene. That was almost worse somehow than the cantaloupe with a knife.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:33

Yeah, it was. It was bad.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:34

Because either one is absolutely the worst. Like they're terrible. They're terrible. It's just it's a lot. But here's the crazy part, and this is what I was alluding to a little bit earlier in the episode. It's like the cinematography is so good in this movie that how is it that that shot of him eating the table is so like visually appealing, despite what is happening is horrific. And there's so many moments of that, even with Laura losing as much blood as she was. The shot of her like doing the circle on the on the glass door, there's another shot of Ollie. Again, I I go back to like this idea we're watching like a little bit, obviously, like a monster when he's already in the shed with Kathy having started to nibble on her face, just starts to creep over the freezer. It almost reminded me of Evil Dead a little bit, just like how much he's like slithers and is just like surrounded by this darkness. I I think that it's such a beautiful movie to see, despite the very disturbing nature and the visuals also being disturbing in terms of what's occurring to these people.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:48

It really is. And that level of disturbing is honestly what makes the cantaloupe scene and everything after a really significant scene that sticks with me, not just because of the very sudden shift into this being a more horrific horror movie, but also because of the horror of emotional manipulation. And Laura has already been planting the seeds all the way up until this. The lengths that she goes to and it was hitting, honestly, Piper while wearing his body spray. You re have the reveal that she's the one that's pissing the bed. There's so much that's happening here that she's doing to separate Andy and Piper, and it all comes rearing its head when we have the cantaloupe scene, Andy trying to get Ollie out for help, and then she sees what's happening. And this is the moment where she turns Piper against him. It was just crushing.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:46

And I think that the wildest thing about this movie, at the very least, is just Laura and the way that they approach her as a character. But in this scene in particular, that I think it's hard to say which one's my favorite, but maybe this one is that it has to do with Laura. It's a small moment. It's the ending where she's cradling her daughter in the pool. I think that's like what still is in my head and might be my favorite scene because that's a moment that solidifies to me that they were daring enough to try and humanize, who clearly is the worst of the worst of a person. An extreme manipulative human who like preyed on these two young kids, specifically, you know, Piper manipulated her to an extent that she goes against her brother, who they, I mean, they just went through something traumatic together, you know, the their siblings. And you manipulate her to an extent to get what you want. Now, the humanization of her comes from a place of like the length that you'll go to, right? For that sense of uh grief and and feeling that love of someone that you care about and that your child in this case. And when she's cradling her, I almost felt like I that opened a dam of emotions because as much as you hate her for what she's done and how vile she is as a person, you continuously remember throughout the film, but in that particular moment, you remember that this is a mother who has expressed, even from the very beginning, who has expressed that she doesn't even know how she could live without her daughter being alive. You know, like she was staring at that grave for like hours on end. She says something like that, right? Like for like days or something like that. She just couldn't really move past it down to the very, very end when Piper says mom, she had shared earlier that she would do anything to hear her daughter say mom again. And she heard it, right? To in a way, symbolically, of course, that it just like that's it. That's the final blow. Fatality, folks. And even still to this day, right now, we were talking about kills a moment ago, but I almost felt like like Laura died, dude. She'd been dead emotionally, like there is no soul in that woman. It left with her daughter, and you can clearly see that in that final scene, and it's just like beautifully shot, but also so so devastating to watch.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:20

Yeah, it's really the best scenes in this movie are the ones that leave you emotionally gutted. I mean, they truly are. I mean, whether it's like the self-harm with the eye gouging scene, the woodchuck scene, you know, you're whatever it is, right? The knife scene with the yeah, like it's those moments. It's the moment, you know, we're just talking about with with Piper at the end screaming Mom underwater, and like that's like almost piercing through the delusions that Laura has, right? It's Connor like reclaiming his identity at the end when he walks out of the circle. It's also impactful, it's heavy as fuck. It's also like the back to back. Scene when Laura and Andy are having that really raw and emotional moment and they're just being honest, right? But it's also now you reflect on it and how manipulative that is, and to really like take out the secrets of this kid and use it against him. You know what I mean? Like so crazy. And the but the most impactful moment, I feel like, is also Andy's final goodbye moment, and how this moment came full fucking circle. Because when he's like stating when he's saying, like trying to comfort Piper by saying after their dad died, that like when they die, they catch a flight. You know what I mean? That whole line and how Piper sees the plane taking off after Andy dies, it's absolutely heartbreaking.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:56

If he makes it to the end, and he seeing Piper both standing. It's just also devastating for Piper that she's now gonna have to face the world alone without Andy.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:07

Yeah. That's definitely tough. And I think it's one of those situations, the rare ones, definitely, but situations where you're like, if this ended a little bit too like sunshine and rainbows, it's gonna take me out. It's gonna be a little too hard to believe. Because I think you mentioned it earlier, Sean, it's like the ending is fitting because it's just as harrowing as the rest of the freaking movie. That's without a doubt. And I think there's a lot to be said about Piper specifically as a character, too. Like she's got this innocence about her and you know, easily trusting for sure, especially at the beginning. Like she's open-hearted, she's ready, and like has a lot of empathy towards Laura, and it's like so intense to see Laura using that against her. Laura is, like you said, it's just like a manipulative through and through, both from the vulnerability that Andy shares and that back-to-back scene where it's clear that Andy has a moment to feel like he is valued and like important enough to like have a moment to be heard, to say to him, like, hey, you matter. Like, I'm I I want to hear how you're feeling. I want to give you this moment because he obviously has a lot of that repressed, right? That that sense of like, I don't want to say jealousy to an extent because it's so complicated, that word, when it comes to the their dynamic and how the father plays a part in that with the abuse that he faced. But a little bit of that of that sense of like, I'm being heard, I'm being listened to for the first time in a long time, it feels like, but she's really just using it against him. And then on the other hand, doing the same for Piper. One thing that I found really interesting is that we don't really hear much about like the moms, right? It's very it's thrown very, very quickly. And I think that's a moment where we can, as the audience, like the Philippo brothers aren't spoon feeding us, like, hey, so this is what happened to their moms too, and this is what explains it. It's more like you can see how they're reacting to Laura being that mother figure, that parent figure, and piece together that that is something that they've been missing for a while, or and specifically Andy has been missing for a while, and you can kind of go from there to do that.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:26

The emotional range of these kids, I think all of them in this movie, it was pretty impressive.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:31

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And you said this word psychological warfare, and that's gonna stick with me for sure because it it is that there is so much psychological warfare from left to right, and you just don't know who to trust. Piper's another one where, again, it's so sad to see that she didn't believe her brother, but how like how could you not to an extent, right? Like, even with her disability at play, it's never like so emphasized to an extent where you feel like it's a major hindrance to her, you know, but it's enough to where she has to have some sense of trust. She has to live a life where she has a semblance of trust for the people around her, or how else is she gonna navigate life to an extent, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:12

Yeah, very true.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:13

That part was very, very interesting for her.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:15

Can we also just highlight for a moment Sora Wong had zero professional acting experience before this? She did this. I mean, amazing being in school plays.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:24

I had no idea, actually. Would never have known if you didn't say that, that she had no prior experience, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:29

Listen, we're at we're at a time, a gold mine of a time, where there are some like young actors out there jumping into some major projects, and they're absolutely killing it. There's a show called Adolescence, not to pivot too much, but there's a show called Adolescence with a similar story, and incredible young kid, incredible actor, frightening as fuck, that kid, but nailed it, and she's no different. I you could tell me that she's been in a ton of stuff, and I would believe you a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:59

It's absolutely wild. I mean, all the kids for sure did a great job too, but I I know I mentioned it before, but also just to go back to Sally Hawkins as Laura for just a moment because I think her performance was fucking unhinged for sure. I think it's very fair to say that we probably expected a strong performance from her, but I was blown away by how I feel like deeply disturbing and deranged her performance becomes and how it progresses as we get into the third act and her character slowly starts to really reveal herself. And it's gotta be, I mean, to me, it's gotta be one of the creepier performances of the year. For at least for like, I mean, yeah, I guess she is the antagonist, you know what I mean? But like creepy performance and just not right.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:44

Oh, you know, couldn't agree more. It's disarming how creepy she is, and it's very clear that they wanted Sally Hawkins for that exact reason. Apparently, she on set was like extremely committed, not like a full-on method actor, but enough to where like she would do things repetitly, even when she wasn't like fully on camera in the scene. But to continue to stay in that momentum, she feels like this embodiment of like you don't know if you could even trust yourself and your own judgment of this person. Because from the very beginning, she's like almost dare I say, like manic a little bit, you know, like so much energy, so much like life. She's making these jokes about her stuffed dog and you know, all of these like weird little quirks to her. She's dressed bright and you know, with like the coolest outfit, by the way, I feel, but certainly not for a funeral. And when she's telling Andy to kiss his father because it's custom, it's like that's what you do. That was one of like the cringier, nonviolent scenes of the film. But it's those things that she just does so well. And in any other context, you'd be like, Oh, it's Sally Hawkins, she's in Paddington, whatever, you know, like Shape of Water, a ton of films that are like way more lighthearted by a landslide than this film. You never almost expect her in something like this. It's true, it's true.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:11

I was just looking up her filmography on IMDB, and I was like, wow, not a single one. Is she just this unhinged foster mom?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:19

Not a single one, not not even close.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:24

Also, shout out to the uh supporting role of that taxidermy pet who then had clothing strung on it while they partied.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:32

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:33

That character deserves some love.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:35

So true.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:36

Sure does, sure does.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:37

Man, but I I mean, listen, I think for me, the worst part of this movie is part of why this movie is great, and it's really just how heavy the subject really is. I gotta be honest with you, because it is heavy, it's heavy as fuck. And aside from you know, the dad dying and hitting me in my core because of literally just losing my dad unexpectedly, but also just the underlying theme of this foster care situation, because you know, I mentioned it before, like I've definitely been in a situation like that. Like I've been separated from my family. I put I my two younger brothers and I were put into foster care, luckily in like being able to like stay in the same house, which is not always the case. And it's just being put into like foster care for a period of time, and the system doesn't really care for you, they don't really protect you in the way that you might think, right? My younger brothers and I were literally locked in like a tiny fucking room in a house with like three of us in like two tiny bunk beds with a family that like no offense to anyone, like we didn't speak the same language, right? Like, we didn't have any communication. So being locked with in a tiny room that you can only watch, like the WB, thank God, for like Fresh Prince, and watching all of the fucking seventh heaven and all that bullshit for like night after night after night was like the only thing I could watch. But like it's just like what do you do from there? Like, you you're a kid, you're oh I'm also like thinking, like, how do I protect my younger brothers? What am I supposed to do in this situation? Like, it's not a good situation, but I want to tell somebody, but like this it's the struggle of like, do I leave? I can physically break out of this house. Like, do I leave this house, but do I leave my little brothers? What happens to them if I leave this house? Right. And I did eventually break through the window, go to the cops, try to get out of there, and all they did was just bring me back and say, go fuck yourself. So, like, it's just you know what I mean? Like, it's super unhinged, and so it's just like, man, the subject of this movie hit me in too many places that it was just like, yeah, I get it, it's what makes this movie probably really impactful for a lot of people and really great, but it is also like literally the fucking worst part of this movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:52

It sounds like you are the Philippo brothers. Yeah, this is a personal attack on you specifically.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:57

It feels personal, yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:59

I feel like it's more so because especially if you go into it not even expecting even an ounce, you know. At the very least, you might think like, oh, this is gonna be another like maybe more cultish, like good time. Are we gonna get like a needle drop moment, you know, with a good dance scene? And I guess we got that technically, but geez, amongst quite literally a little too personal subject matter, you powered through, friend. You powered through. I feel like it's tough to say the worst part outside of just my stupidity of missing the first minutes of the movie. I literally traded nachos and a slushie for exposition. And I have never done that before, and I certainly will never do it again because this is clearly a movie that every second counts, and I love it for that. Don't get me wrong, I just feel like I never would have anticipated that I would have missed some key elements to the particular like characters and just this organic build of empathy for these characters too. That that first watch again loved it, but it did not hit me the way that it did the second time around. So never doing that again. It's almost like the worst part, but also a great lesson learned.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:13

Not you being surprised that part of a movie mattered. What is that assessment of the rest of these films, huh? You feel like some of the opening few minutes.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:24

Maybe. Maybe that's really what maybe that's really how I've been feeling. I suppose. No, no, it isn't. It isn't.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:30

If you traded nachos and a slushie, you would have missed out on Ginger Dead Man being a human before he was gingerbread.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:35

You're right. And then I would have just not laughed as much. That's the thing. No, so there's a couple things to it though. I thought that like the nachos and the fucking slushie machine was gonna be faster. I like there was no one in line at the concession when I had walked in. I've got AMC A-list, I got that, you know, that fast pass. No, buddy was taking his sweet ass time to put butter on my popcorn, and I thought, well, I mean, what could really be happening the first couple minutes? Not much. I'll be in there soon. Missed basically, like, I don't even know, a fifth of the movie. It's so stupid.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:12

Yeah, I'm just thinking about everything that happens in this movie before the dad even dies. What was the scene that you walked in on?

SPEAKER_02 1:18:18

The scene that I walked in on was Laura already like introducing herself and showing the dog. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:25

I missed that amount of time. Yes, Chris. I know that. Wow, I knew that. I missed. I'm sorry. It's just a realization. Like, I know logically that you missed a lot because of this scenario, but to hear where you entered the film, yikes, I am so sorry for you. That is terrible. I think it's terrible that those machines are not up to par.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:50

No, the machine the sushi machine was not queued up. It's a couple things, too, because I don't want to put all the blame on them. Ultimately, I should have known, like looking at the clock, Bianca, maybe you should go back in there. But the funnier part, dude, the funnier part is like I just kept telling myself, I'm gonna be right back here tomorrow and I'll watch, I'm gonna watch the movie again. It'll be fine. When I finish the movie, I said, Oh no, my mom can't watch this. This is way too intense. So instead, I had her watch Talk to Me. After watching Talk to Me, she was like, How about you go see Bring Her Back and you let me know if it's worth seeing? At that point, I had to tell her, actually, Mom, I already watched it without you. That's why I did what I did today. You're not gonna watch this movie. So I then was like, all of that for nothing. And now I'm in a predicament where I have to go see the movie, find some other time in my fucking schedule to go see this movie again.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:42

Watch it again. Yeah. I mean, that's why I really like so there's this new theater that I found up by me. It's a little bit out of the way. It takes like a little bit longer, like an extra 10 minutes or so to like drive to it. So if you have the time, it's actually it is worth it. But it's this I and I think I was sharing this with you guys. Like it's in the shopping center. It's very strange. It's like a small time movie theater, but and it has like maybe six actual theater rooms in all of it, but and it's like touch star cinema or something, and it's seven dollars a fucking ticket. Like it's seven bucks to go watch any big movie that's out, like for at least five or six movies that are big that are out, like seven bucks to go see it is a steal, and you get in, it's nice seats and everything, it's small theaters, but then you can just QR code and order your food, drinks, and it comes to you. You don't ever have to leave. While paying the seven dollars for a ticket, yeah, it's like legit, it's like really a great little like small time theater. I mean, you're not gonna get Dolby, you're not gonna get IMAX, yeah. You're not gonna get like those big time things that a lot of people want to see specific films in. But if you're just in it for like a good movie, it's a really good place to go.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:57

Wow. You see, that would have helped me immensely in my situation.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:02

But it's okay. Now I know better. Maybe I'll go drive, take a little adventure, go there. But one thing I definitely know is that I will never ever miss a movie for fucking nachos again.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:15

Listen, I'll tell you this. There is some shit that I can appreciate about this movie, and I do respect it, but there is an indescribable something in the DNA of this film that just prevents it from hitting for me in a satisfying way. And I think that might be the worst part. And I say this fully aware that it's me high on the problem, it's me. I could have just been not emotionally available to this movie and ready to go on that journey. But even then, I really want to see the Philippo brothers do something that isn't just like a deep dive exploration into grief. I want a different kind of horror. And I think they do an incredible job, and I'm glad that this horror exists for the people that it's relevant too. But I think the jury is still out for me on okay, this is the second of their movies that I just do not ever care to watch again.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:06

Yeah, I think this is a great horror movie that I don't know that I would recommend. You know what I mean? Like, I I can honestly say I really like this horror movie, but I don't think I would ever tell anybody to go watch this horror movie. It is a good horror movie, it is also really fucked up, it's so heavy. Part of me wants to watch it one more time, but the other part of me is saying, I'm good. That's real.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:33

I obviously saw it twice in the span of a week, and it was very taxing, especially emotionally, and hit a couple a little, you know, couple things that I've gotta unpack for sure. But that said, because I love this kind of stuff and this kind of pain rather to my soul, I'll definitely be re-watching this. But to your point, that's why I kind of like tiptoed as to like how to recommend this to people. I would recommend it to people, but really like trying to emphasize a lot of the themes here. And it's not like I would never want someone to go into this movie not knowing what they're walking into like we did, I think, is just the truth of the matter. I don't think that's a safe approach because it's touching on a lot of sensitive things that at the very least you've got to like know your audience and know who you're talking to to recommend this movie. So I certainly would, and I'm not gonna re-watch it anytime soon, but I will be re-watching it at some point in the future.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:35

Well, we'll see how this movie continues to age this year in our memories, and perhaps revisit it at the end of year awards. But for now, there you have it. Bring her back has earned a universal slash. Could have been a bring her hack and it just escaped. Now we've certainly had a robust discussion here, but the conversation doesn't end here by any means.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:54

Yeah, if you want to find out how you can bring us back, consider supporting the show and visit patreon.com slash hackerslash. This is where you can enjoy even more of the show, including bonus content with early access, extended episodes with our B-sides, movie nominations, and live shows.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:11

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SPEAKER_03 1:24:23

We'll see you next time, folks, and remember it's just me.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:26

Great crew.