FILM · 2025 · AUSTRALIA
Bring Her Back
8 archived facts 1 topic 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
8 Interesting Facts About Bring Her Back
- #001
Jonah Wren Phillips, who plays Ollie/Conner, is the real-life son of Stephen Phillips, who plays Andy and Piper's father.
- #002
A linked website called blackangeltapes.net, set in the universe of Bring Her Back and Talk To Me, provides more information about how Laura obtained the possession ritual tape seen in the film, what the circular motions she watches in the window and on Ollie's head mean, and why the demon possessing Ollie is constantly hungry.
- #003
Prosthetic FX designer Larry Van Duynhoven and his team tackled the challenges posed by Ollie's demonic transformation. The task required special care because the lead actor was only 12 years old. In one scene, the possessed Ollie bites a wooden table and even a knife. Van Duynhoven told Variety: "He could really go to town because we had dentures that helped protect his teeth and mouth. The dental technician designed some breakable teeth in the dentures, so some of those teeth came off." For Ollie's final demon makeup, which features a swollen stomach covered in necrotic veins, a full-body cast was made in their workshop. The process took nearly six hours and required Jonah to stay completely still without getting distracted. Van Duynhoven said of Phillips: "Imagine sitting there for five hours, let alone an 11-year-old kid. It takes a special person to endure all that."
- #004
The Philippou brothers first planned to direct the film adaptation of Street Fighter (2026) in 2023, but they were excited to focus on this film, which was inspired by "psycho-biddy" (mother-based) horror.
- #005
Filming lasted only 41 days.
- #006
The end credits include a tribute to Harley Wallace, not a film actor or crew member but a close friend of the two directors whose sudden death shocked them both and had a dark and somber effect on the script. Especially the ending.
- #007
The demon that possesses Ollie is named Tari, and Laura refers to Tari as an angel who does beautiful things. In Judeo-Christian theology, most demons (but not all) were formerly angels cast out of Heaven for rebelling against God, and such demons are willing to teach humans knowledge and skills. However, in Christian traditions there are no demons or fallen angels named Tari or with similar names, so this demon was created specifically for the film.
- #008
The Philippou brothers and Aaron Lipsky initially planned to shoot Bring Her Back in a 1.37:1 format because they wanted a taller frame, influenced by "psycho biddy" films, several of which share that same aspect ratio. They ultimately settled on 2:1, but they also framed somewhat taller while shooting because they found something "really beautiful" about the taller frame.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work