Children have been a staple in horror movies for decades bur rarely have they been used so offensively as they are in "Bring Her Back". After the death of their father Andy (Billy Barratt) and his stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) find themselves being fostered by Sally Hawkins' clearly deeply disturbed Laura whose own daughter Cathy has drowned in their swimming pool. Laura would appear to have one other kid in her care, silent Oliver who likes to put his hand through glass panels and chew on butcher's knives and who isn't above taking a bite out of Laura on occasion.
As Oliver Jonah Wren Phillips is extraordinary and yet I kept feeling his performance was almost tantamount to child abuse on the part of the films directors, brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. I don't know how old young Phillips is but surely no child should be put through the rigors that he seems to have been put through. Barratt, too, is excellent and Hawkins is terrific, (but isn't she always), while the brothers direction is mostly first-class but the film itself is far too unpleasant to pass as entertainment. This is a horror movie, alright but not in a good way.
