Director(s) – Danny Philippou (Deluge, RackaRacka) and Michael Philippou (RackaRacka)
Starring – Sophie Wilde (Boy Swallows Universe, Everything Now), Joe Bird (Rabbit, Treasure), and Miranda Otto (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 3.5/5
I’ve been a fan of indie and no budget horror for decades now which is something weird to say. I was born in the late 80s and lived through the Ma and Pop video store boom. I was always watching direct to video horror, sci-fi, and action flicks which was how I was introduced to Full Moon and Troma. Full Moon and Troma, especially Troma, opened the door to indie and no budget cinema to me and I never looked back. It’s because of this love for no budget cinema that I often skip big budget or pop horror titles because they often lack the imagination these films have.
With that being said, I’ve seen some seriously amazing pop horror flicks like Ti West’s X, The Black Phone, Late Night with the Devil, and Barbarian to name a few. I receive a lot of press releases for pop horror that I share on the site and when I received one for A24’s Talk To Me I wasn’t really interested in it. Honestly, it looked a bit too goofy while trying to be serious for me. I was going to pass on it until I received the blu release for review. I decided to finally check it out after taking a quick break from horror.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a group of youths who figure out a way to communicate with the dead using a plaster hand. It becomes a party gag with others recording them as they hold the hand and react to the spirits they are seeing. Things take a dark turn when one of them holds the hand and the spirit takes control of them, forcing them to hurt themselves. They are unable to knock the hand off quickly and he is knocked unconscious. He’s rushed to the hospital, but things seem off for one of them. She starts to see people from the other side at random moments including her recently deceased mother. As she rushes to figure out what is going on she realizes that the spirit that was in her friend is still there allowing others to come forward. **Spoiler Alert**
I didn’t know what to expect when I tossed in Talk To Me to watch but I was not expecting to love it as much as I did. The movie has phenomenal character development, one hell of a cast, and a story that I found myself fully submersed in. Honestly, I never expected to like this one as much as I did and it’s difficult not to sit here all day talking about how much I loved it.
The acting in this one is great. I loved seeing Miranda Otto from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She’s an amazing actress with unmatchable screen presence. With that being said, she was severely underutilized here. I would have loved to see her in a much larger role. The standout performances, for me, came from Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird. Wilde carried the film and showcased a wide range of emotions. Her performance felt very genuine, and she really pulls the viewer into her pain and torment. Bird also delivers one of the most sinister performances I’ve ever seen in a modern horror film. I’m seriously a fan now and look forward to his other genre efforts.
The story for this one is not a like the other horror efforts that follow people hosting a seance or playing with Ouija boards. Instead, it’s a party game where somewhere holds a plaster hand, which has its own backstory, and they are able to see a spirit while no one else can. The twist that happens when the teenager is possessed and hurts himself leaving the door open is predictable, but it doesn’t ruin the impact of the remainder of the story. It has great pacing, lots of action, and the sense of dread at time is almost choking.
Finally, the film has some beautiful practical and make-up effects that only add to the overall experience. I loved the look of the spirits and the make-up effects that were incorporated but the blood and gags used were what really took the film over the top. While it’s nowhere near as violent as Evil Dead Rise, it still incorporates some seriously impressive effects. Overall, Talk to Me is one of a handful of modern pop horror flicks that does not disappoint. It’s a well-rounded horror film that has some genuine scares and great effects. I highly recommend checking this one out.
