Hollywood is full of "YouTube kids" who try to make the jump to the big screen and fall flat on their faces. It usually goes the same way. A creator gets a massive following, bags a mid-budget comedy deal, and produces something that feels like a bloated, 90-minute version of a vlog. But Michael and Danny Philippou aren't those guys. Honestly, they never were.
The twins from Adelaide—better known to the internet as RackaRacka—spent years smashing lightbulbs over their heads and staging hyper-violent Ronald McDonald parodies. You’d think their cinematic debut would be a slapstick gore-fest. Instead, they gave us Talk to Me (2023), a claustrophobic, grief-stricken masterpiece that became A24’s second-highest-grossing film ever.
As we hit 2026, the industry is still trying to figure out how two guys who grew up filming backyard wrestling matches became the most sought-after names in modern horror.
The Bring Her Back Shift
After the astronomical success of their first film, everyone expected them to immediately jump into a Talk to Me sequel. While that’s still lurking in the background at A24, the brothers pivoted. They spent 2025 releasing Bring Her Back, a folk-horror nightmare starring Sally Hawkins.
If Talk to Me was about the viral nature of teenage peer pressure, Bring Her Back is something much more intimate and, frankly, way more depressing. It follows two foster kids, Andy and Piper, who realize their new foster mother (Hawkins) is involved in an occult ritual that’s less "kooky grandma" and more "unspeakable terror."
Danny has been pretty open about where this story came from. He witnessed his cousin lose a two-year-old child and saw the raw, physical weight of that grief in the hospital room. Seeing a family refuse to let go of a body—that’s the kind of trauma they bake into their films. It’s why their horror feels so "heavy." It isn’t just jump scares. It’s the feeling of a lead weight in your stomach.
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The movie pulled in about $39 million worldwide on a $15 million budget. In a year where big-budget blockbusters were struggling, these guys proved they weren't one-hit wonders.
Why They Walked Away From Street Fighter
The biggest "what if" of their career happened in mid-2024. Legendary and Capcom had tapped the Philippous to direct the new live-action Street Fighter movie. Fans were losing it. The twins' background in high-energy stunt work and practical effects seemed like a perfect match for Ryu and Ken.
Then, they just... left.
They dropped out of the project to focus on Bring Her Back. Most directors would kill for a massive franchise IP, but Michael and Danny have this weird, refreshing loyalty to their own stories. They didn't want to be "directors-for-hire" on a project where they might lose creative control.
By the time Kitao Sakurai (the mind behind The Eric Andre Show) took over Street Fighter, the Philippous were already back in Australia, deep in the final sound mix for their own original work. They actually joked on Reddit about breaking onto the Street Fighter set just for the hell of it because they still love the franchise. But they chose the art over the paycheck. You don't see that often.
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Returning to the Blood: The Deathmatch Documentary
If you thought the brothers were going "prestige" and leaving their chaotic roots behind, you’d be wrong. Throughout 2025, they’ve been editing an untitled documentary about deathmatch wrestling.
This is basically a full-circle moment. Before they were famous, they were 11-year-olds in Adelaide jumping off roofs and bashing each other headfirst into the ground. This new project isn't just them filming from the sidelines.
- Michael actually got into the ring for a match.
- Danny trained and performed as well.
- They used cameras inside the ring to capture real injuries, glass shards, and barbed wire.
They’ve described it as "extreme performance art." It’s illegal in half the places they filmed it, which is exactly the kind of energy that made RackaRacka famous in the first place. Expect this to hit the festival circuit in late 2026.
The "Secret" to Their Success (It’s Not Just Luck)
A lot of people think they just got lucky with a viral script. The reality is more grueling. For Talk to Me, Danny spent years writing, and for Bring Her Back, they went through something like 72 drafts of the script.
They also have a massive edge because they understand the technical side better than most veteran directors. They did their own stunts. They did their own VFX for years. When they’re on a professional set, they know exactly how a shot should feel because they’ve already done a "low-budget" version of it in their backyard ten years ago.
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Plus, they have a cameo as NPCs in Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. When Hideo Kojima thinks you're cool enough to put in a game, you’ve basically made it in the eyes of the internet.
What’s Next for the Twins?
So, where does that leave us?
- Talk 2 Me: It’s coming. They’ve already filmed a "prequel" consisting of the opening scene's characters, and the main sequel is in active development with A24.
- The Documentary: That deathmatch film is going to be a massive departure from their A24 horror style, likely leaning back into the "gonzo" energy of their YouTube days.
- Original Projects: They’ve hinted at a "non-horror" project, possibly an action-heavy film that uses their stunt background.
Actionable Insights for Creators
If you're looking at the Philippou brothers as a blueprint for your own career, here is what you need to take away:
- Master the craft before the tools: They didn't need a RED camera to learn pacing and editing; they used what they had.
- Don't chase the IP: Turning down Street Fighter was a power move. It showed the industry that their original voice is more valuable than a franchise's brand.
- Use your trauma: Their best work comes from real-life fears and experiences, not just trying to "write a horror movie."
The Philippous have successfully bridged the gap between "influencer" and "auteur" by simply being too good to ignore. They aren't trying to fit into Hollywood; they're making Hollywood fit them.