Loved 'Bring Her Back'? Watch This Overlooked 2025 Horror With 'The Boys' Star
This gem reveals that the most terrible monsters often emerge from our reluctance to let go and the void of despair that forms in the wake of loss.
If you were captivated by Bring Her Back and its searing topic of the inability to come to terms with loss, then The Surrender is your next must-see.
Colby Minifie, familiar to viewers from The Boys, plays the lead role and demonstrates a completely different, deeply dramatic range here.
What Is 'The Surrender' About?
Megan, a young woman, returns to her parents' home to help her mother, Barbara, care for her father, Robert, who is dying of cancer.
Initially, Megan dismisses her mother's eccentricities, such as her New Age amulets and rituals, as a result of stress and burnout. However, she soon realizes that Barbara has no intention of letting go of her husband, even after his death.
Barbara intends to perform an ancient and vile ritual to bring Robert back from the dead.
'The Surrender' Is a Perfect Pick if You Liked Last Year's Hit 'Bring Her Back'
Both movies explore the same central topic: the pathological inability to accept the death of a loved one and its devastating consequences. However, The Surrender takes an even darker and more hopeless path.
In Bring Her Back, a parent can find a glimmer of hope for their future by resurrecting a child. Here, however, the resurrection of an elderly spouse brings nothing but disintegration.
By refusing to say goodbye, Barbara condemns her entire family to hell simply to extend their life together.
'The Surrender' Is an Almost-Perfect Elevated Horror That Definitely Deserves More Attention
Director Julia Max struck a rare balance between intellectual drama and genre thrills. She defied the producers' demands to quickly move on to the scary scenes, instead focusing on the complex, meticulously crafted relationship between the mother and daughter.
Their confrontation, built on despair, love-hate, and cultural disconnect, becomes the core of the narrative.
The Surrender masterfully combines journeys through memory labyrinths, body horror, terrifying demonic images, and psychological tension arising from completely realistic, everyday situations.
The Surrender is a smart, emotionally nuanced, and stylistically cohesive horror film that isn't afraid to be slow and ambiguous.
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The Surrender'?
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The Surrender has 85% from critics and 47% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
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On IMDb, the movie has a score of 5.4/10.
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On Letterboxd, The Surrender scored 2.9/5.0.
Where to Watch 'The Surrender'?
The Surrender is available to stream on Shudder and AMC+.
