Well, well, well, what do we have here? A pair of Australian YouTubers making their directorial film debut with an unfairly good horror movie? Nope, that wasn’t exactly one of my predictions for 2023, yet here we are. And it’s a doozy.
Talk to Me is your usual teen horror movie on the surface, but the concept and execution help it stand out amongst other films in this crowded genre. In short, it follows a group of (stupid) friends, who discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand. When its abilities have psychedelic drug-like effects on the holder, they become hooked, making it the focal point of all their upcoming parties. However, one of them goes too far, allowing a younger boy to try its power and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces on everyone around him.
My wife and I saw Talk to Me as part of a secret screening (a preview of a surprise, upcoming film). One guy left about 15 minutes in, clearly shitting his pants. From the synopsis, it does sound pretty hokey and more of the same old horror shit we’ve been seeing for the past two decades. But there’s something about this one that makes it truly frightening.
Basically, this is a movie about teenagers being absolute dumb dumbs. We’ve gone full circle. It felt like a movie from the days when horror movies were actually original; whilst I expected it to be your usual supernatural possession type, it was so much more innovative and well conceived than that. The best thing? It doesn’t end at all like how you’ve been conditioned to believe it will. Think there’ll be some sort of obligatory exorcism sequence at the end? Think again.
Maybe the most intriguing thing about Talk to Me is its cast; particularly, young lead Sophie Wilde is indisputably one to watch, as she brings her A game to the forefront. Perhaps most surprisingly is how well the youngest cast member (Joe Bird) managed to stand out amongst a whole group of new talent. All I’ll say is, Linda Blair, eat your heart out. (I really don’t want to give too much away – go in as blind as possible if you can!)
With some pacing issues and a few weird loose ends when it comes to plot, there are a couple of sequences that could have done with some tightening up. For instance, there’s a lot going on with the main character’s grieving process that all feels a bit wishy washy, and they bring back a character from the opening sequence about half way through that ultimately goes nowhere. Even so, there’s so much to enjoy with this one that you can forgive a couple of plot holes.
I won’t go as far to say that this is an instant classic à la Get Out, but it’s a brilliant start to the careers of these first-time directors. Now get your embalmed hand away from me, you creepy fucks.
Talk to Me is currently screening in UK cinemas (yes, there are other movies on that aren’t named Barbie or Oppenheimer!)
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