A24 presents Talk to Me, in cinemas globally now.
Synopsis
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.
Review
After messing with a mysterious embalmed hand, a group of teens struggle to free themselves from the grasp of some malevolent spirits and find themselves in a race against time before they join them.
In the modern world of TikTok Trends and prank videos, teenagers are continuously encouraged to do gross, dangerous or just silly things in the race for viewers and admiration to strangers online. Talk to Me lends itself into this part of culture when a group of teens in Australia get hold of a disembodied embalmed hand that when gripping it and muttering the words “Talk to Me” summons a random spirit allowing the one holding the hand to see and talk to said spirit, following up with “I let you in” then allows the spirit to temporarily possess that person’s body.
Now for most people, simply the risk of this being true would be enough to put you off even trying it, but for these teens it’s treated like a drug where everyone wants a go to feel what it’s like or to verify it was legit with each of their possessions being live streamed to people online.
One night however goes terribly wrong and when it goes wrong, boy does it go wrong! Now in a rush against time to undo their actions before the spirits permanently take over them.
While the plot is not some incredibly deep sprawling story that some horror franchisees try to build on, it instead leans towards how powerful grief can be and the obsessions someone could go down should be given the chance to speak to a deceased loved one. How this grief can open someone up to dangerous people who could take advantage or the person starts to display reckless actions.
The fear of missing out is also in play with all these kids wanting to experience it themselves multiple times, a very open allegory for casual drug use.
The cast is made up almost entirely of young teens who begin with some over confident swagger before things get too real and reveal they are but scared dumb kids who are in way over their heads. Lead by Sophie Wilde as the grieving Mia who tries to fix the teens’ mistakes. Her performance was phenomenal particularly during her possession which made for uncomfortable viewing (perfect for a horror)
In terms of jump scares this film has a few but decides to provide us more with lingering silent shots to build up tension rather than just keep throwing jump after jump. It’s something I have appreciated far more if done correctly which this film does. Jarring camera jolts and close ups of incredibly gory shots also leave you covering your face to avoid the unwavering violence as these spirits are relentless during their possessions. Ever rarely are you left with room to breath as the short run time keeps the story and pacing tight.
Danny and Michael Philippou’s directorial debut is a strong entry for the Youtube duo and I very much look forward to their future works. Talk to Me is an intense, gory and terrifying experience leaving you wide eyed in shock when the lingering horror finally snaps at you. With a strong cast playing the young immature and out of their depth teens.
Verdict
Talk to Me will grab your hand and refuse to let go!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
