When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. A film by Danny and Michael Philippou, starring Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Marcus Johnson, and Alexandria Steffensen.
TALK TO ME
Danny Philippou • Michael Philippou
(2023)
A supernatural horror film by Australian twin brothers, Danny and Michael Philippou in their directorial debut. They are known for their popular YouTube channel RackaRacka. The channel was created in 2013 and has since gained a massive following, with their video “Harry Potter VS Star Wars,” released in 2014, attracting over 7 million views within one week and over 34 million views to date.
The opening scene of TALK TO ME is captivating and shocking. Cole (Ari McCarthy) searches for his brother Duckett (Sunny Johnson) at a crowded house party. Duckett appears disturbed and is mumbling about their deceased father. The teenagers at the party pull out their phones to record Duckett. Suddenly, Duckett stabs Cole with a knife before stabbing himself in the face. The scene is reminiscent of the opening scene of SCREAM, which foreshadows the violence and suspense to come without explicitly giving away the details.
Mia (Sophie Wilde) is still grieving the death of her mother, Rhea (Alexandria Steffensen), who passed away two years ago. She is distant from her father, Max (Marcus Johnson),, believing that he has not told her the whole truth about her mother’s death. Mia often hangs out with her best friend, (Alexandra Jensen), and takes care of Jade’s younger brother, Riley (Joe Bird). whenever Jade is too preoccupied with her phone or other personal matters.
A new social media trend has emerged among teenagers, who believe that they can communicate with the dead through a ceramic hand. Spectators record and upload videos of the ritual, which has become increasingly popular in recent months.
The use of a novel method of summoning spirits, rather than the traditional ouija board, is a brilliant move. This allows the creators to establish new rules and construct a world around those rules, which generates suspense and may potentially take the audience off guard since they are unaware of what to anticipate.
The rules of the ritual are simple. The person must be restrained before the ritual begins, so that they cannot take the hand and run away or harm others. A candle must be lit to open the door to the other side. The person must hold the embalmed hand and say, “Talk to me,” to allow them to communicate with a spirit. They must then say, “I let you in,” to allow the spirit to possess them, but for no more than 90 seconds. Once the time is up, the person must let go of the embalmed hand (often with force) and the candle must be extinguished to close the door.
Without spoiling anything too much. In this kind of horror genre, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Mia breaks the rules when she witnesses her late mother’s spirit possess a boy. She must now face the grave consequences of her actions.
There are several memorable scenes that are rare to find in horror films. The realistic, gruesome blood-soaked wounds are also effective in creating a sense of unease and suspense. The sound design is also top-notch, with subtle noises that can creep into your even without the use of jump scares. The cast is also great, with Sophie Wilde giving a standout performance in the lead role. The twisted ending is disturbingly horrifying.
TALK TO ME is an impressive directorial debut from the Philippou brothers. It proves that with a strong concept and a masterful execution, a horror film about talking to the dead can stand out from the crowd.
TALK TO ME premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival on 30 October 2022, and at Sundance Film Festival on 21 January 2023. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 28 July, by A24.
The film has grossed over $88.5 million worldwide against a $4.5 million budget. A24 revealed the logo for the upcoming sequel, titled TALK 2 ME on their Instagram account on 8 August 2023, confirming earlier speculation that a sequel was in the works, with Danny and Michael Philippou returning as co-directors and Danny and Bill Hinzman returning as writers.
