Issue 37: Bring Her Back
Currently on the dead, the devil, discovery, and dimensions.
📝 Reviewing: Bring Her Back (2025)
Ask any horror movie buff why they like the genre, and they’ll say that, sure, gore and jump scares can be fun, but horror movies explore the fears and anxieties that humans face every day. These themes show up as monsters and metaphors, reflecting fears about the unknown, loss, and human nature. While this has always been true, it feels even more apparent now with films like Get Out (racism), It Follows (sexual anxiety), Midsommar (cults and codependency), and Hereditary (family trauma). Bring Her Back is the latest addition to that list.
Bring Her Back comes from twins Danny and Michael Philippou, who first gained attention with horror-comedy videos on YouTube. The film follows a brother and sister who, after the death of their father, are introduced by their foster mother to a new sibling, only to discover she’s hiding a terrifying secret. It’s brutal, gruesome, and I’m pretty sure I watched at least 10 minutes of it through my fingers. It doesn’t rely solely on jump scares, instead lingering with haunting visuals and disturbing images of body horror that have seared into my brain. I felt many of these scenes physically, and still get squeamish just thinking about them.
What’s most haunting, though, is that this film is about grief—how it stays with you, how it shows up in different forms at different times, how it can control you, and how it can affect others if left unprocessed. While I have no desire to watch this film again and would struggle to recommend it because of its scenes and just the general vibe of a bad time that it is, I fully respect its vision, its message, and how effectively it left my skin crawling. Bring Her Back is currently in theaters.
📺 Watching: The Devil’s Plan (2023)
Years ago, a South Korean game show called The Genius started making the rounds in my board game circles. Marketed as a blend of Survivor and social deduction, I gave it a shot. The show layered psychological strategy over familiar game mechanics, and the clever editing kept every episode suspenseful, often ending in cliffhangers.
Now, with the global rise of Korean TV and cinema, Netflix has released The Devil’s Plan, a spiritual successor to The Genius created by the same producer. Currently in its second season, The Devil’s Plan carries forward that same core DNA. Contestants navigate high-stakes games of logic, math, social maneuvering, and luck. Each challenge is a step toward making it to the end while building up a growing prize pot along the way.
If you’re into reality competition shows, love board games, or enjoy escape room-style puzzles, this show is worth your time. Both seasons of The Devil’s Plan are available to stream on Netflix.
🎲 Playing: Ticket to Ride Legacy
In the board gaming world, Ticket to Ride is known as a “gateway game,” the kind of game hobbyists use to introduce others to the hobby or bring to family gatherings. It’s easy to teach, simple to learn, and has earned its place as a modern classic. After 18 years in the hobby, I’ve moved on to more complex and novel experiences. But lately, I’ve noticed a growing appetite for Legacy-style games, games that evolve and change permanently based on players’ decisions and outcomes.
Legacy games force us (serial buyers, a.k.a. me) to play our games more than once, without the burden of relearning complex rules every session. Which brings me to Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West.
Here, players embark on twelve journeys across 19th-century North America as pioneers forging their way from the East Coast to the West, facing unique challenges along the way. My game group is four games in, and it’s been a refreshing twist on the classic Ticket to Ride formula, full of surprises and new layers that keep the experience exciting.
Whether you’re a Ticket to Ride veteran or someone looking for a campaign-style game that only takes a handful of sessions to complete, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
📣 Recommending: Aspect Ratios with Ryan Coogler
Admittedly, I didn’t know who Ryan Coogler was until this April. I follow a bunch of film accounts on Instagram to keep up with news and announcements, and one day, while scrolling, I came across a video from Kodak. A guy was breaking down the differences between film formats, and he clearly knew his stuff. On top of that, his passion and excitement for filmmaking were contagious.
Curious, I looked him up and found out he started on a football scholarship, got recognized for his creative writing, and received Final Draft as a gift from his wife when he couldn’t afford it. All of that made me want to support his work, so I bought a ticket to Sinners without knowing much about it. Only later did I realize he also directed Black Panther. So yeah, he’s doing just fine.
If there’s anyone who can be a cheerleader for the importance of movie theaters and a reason to see films on the big screen when you can, it’s him. The breakdown with Ryan Coogler is available to watch on YouTube.
🏁 Working On: Last Looks
I’m thrilled to share that I’ve finished the script for my short film, Last Looks. It’s a story I’ve been quietly shaping for a while, and now it’s ready to take its next steps. I’m currently looking for a producer before diving into location scouting and assembling a crew. If you’re curious to learn more, want to read the script, or are interested in getting involved, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for being here.
— Justin