Bring Her Back follows Piper (Sora Wong) and Andy (Billy Barratt) as they discover that something strange is going on at their new foster home. Sally Hawkins brilliantly plays Laura, who seemingly takes them in out of the goodness of her heart, but when it is revealed she is diving into occult practices to try to bring her deceased daughter back, things get terrifying. Jonah Wren Phillips makes his feature film debut as Oliver, who undergoes some truly horrific transformations throughout the film.

This is the second film for writers and directors Danny and Michael Philippou. Their first movie, Talk To Me, still boasts an exceptional Rotten Tomatoes score, making it clear these brothers truly understand how to explore grief in horror movies and know how to find a way that gets under people’s skin. Bring Her Back comes to theaters on May 30.

ScreenRant caught up with the Philippou brothers, Sora Wong, Billy Barratt, and Jonah Wren Phillips to talk all about Bring Her Back. They reveal how scary Phillips’ demon transformation is in person. The cast and directors also admit just how far they would go to bring a loved one back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, while Wong and Barratt discuss finding that sibling chemistry.

Jonah Wren Phillips’ Transformation Terrified The Cast & Directors

“Turn Around When You’re Talking To Us, Please”

Throughout Bring Her Back, the character of Ollie goes through a lot of changes. “It was pretty amazing,” Phillips recalls. Adding that “the prosthetics were a big part of transforming into Ollie.” He praises the “amazing” prosthetics team, “They had all the different stages. It was really cool to see how it changed from just a little something weird about him into full demon.“

Michael Philippou recalls how difficult it was to have conversations with Phillips when he was in prosthetics. “Actually speaking to him on set, because he still talks normally, I’m like, ‘you play games?’ ‘Yeah, a little bit of ᴀssᴀssin’s Creed.’ And he’s a demon.” He laughs, “You talk to him, but not look at him. I was like, ‘Jonah, can you talk to the other room, please? Just turn around, Jonah, when you talk to us, please.‘”

Danny Philippou confirms that Phillips looked “horrifying” when fully done up. “It was pretty terrifying,” Barrett claims. “you know it’s prosthetics, but it’s also like your face is falling off.” Sora chimes in, admitting that the whole process was scary for her. “Because I’ve never filmed a movie, I’ve never seen so much prosthetics and all that blood and stuff. It was horrifying.“

The Bring Her Back Cast & Directors Would Probably Just Let Their Loved Ones Stay ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

“You’re Trying To Bring A Loved One Back, But Then You Might Take Someone Else’s Loved One, And It’s Just A Continuous Cycle”

This movie is about grief and trauma at its core, ultimately showcasing the different ways that different people handle a devastating loss. Laura, Piper and Andy’s foster mother, goes what most would consider a bit too far in hopes of bringing her deceased daughter back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. When asked how far they would go to bring back a loved one, most say they would just try to move on.

“I know that if Michael died, I wouldn’t be sad at all,” Danny jokes about his brother. “Sora asked for the ritual tape, so I don’t know what she’s trying to do,” he adds “I would do it.“. Wong laughs at Danny’s accusation before taking a second to think and ultimately deciding she wouldn’t go there. “I guess, no. I think there’s too much loss. Because you’re trying to bring a loved one back, but then you might take someone else’s loved one, and it’s just a continuous cycle.“

“I think it’s pretty good to deal with the grief, but I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Phillips admits.

The Philippou Brothers Helped Billy Barrett & Sora Wong Create A Strong Sibling Bond

“Even Though It’s Never Going To Be In The Film, That Pre-Established Connection Feels Real.”

Danny and Michael Philippou are brothers, so of course, they have worked together a lot. However, for two of the main cast members, this was their first ever feature film. When asked about the collaborative process behind making Bring Her Back, Barratt and Wong reveal that they were able to spend quite a lot of time together during pre-production, which helped build their bond a lot.

“We spent a lot of time just getting to know each other in pre-production, which is really important, because in a lot of movies, you don’t actually, you have that time. Sometimes you just turn up and it’s like action,” Barratt explains. “I think finding that brother-sister relationship thing was really key to actually finding the character as well. It was good.“

“Taking them to AFL, which is Australian footy, and going in character as brother and sister, it just gives a lived history and adds a connection there,” Danny Philippou says. “Even though it’s never going to be in the film, that pre-established connection feels real, because they experienced it in some way. You guys were awesome together. My heart breaks when we saw her…“

Michael Philippou interjects, stating they really come off as siblings when “Sora beats the crap out of Billy” in the movie. “That was my favorite scene”, Sora adds, causing everyone to crack up, justifying it by saying, “I stayed true to my character.” Even Barratt has to admit, “It’s pretty authentic.“

Check out our other Bring Her Back interview here.

Source: Screen Rant Plus