Talk To Me is an instant horror classic

The horror genre has offered many spins on possession over the years, with classics in the genre such as the Exorcist or Evil Dead movies standing out as highlights, and the new Aussie horror film Talk To Me is another great addition to the roster.

Twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou are certain to be snapped up by Hollywood studios after this crowd-pleasing, spine-tingling thrillfest.

Talk To Me revolves around a group of friends using an embalmed hand to communicate with spirits, which soon becomes the ultimate party trick.

Snapchat videos of people being possessed are distributed and soon everyone wants a slice of the action.

The main plot concerns a teen, Mia, who has recently lost her mother, and after hearing of this opportunity to talk with the dead, she seeks to get to the bottom of the circumstances of her mother’s death.

As the old saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, and Mia soon finds herself using the hand as a crutch for her grief despite the warnings of her friends.

As the film progresses and the hand falls into Mia’s possession, warnings not to play around with the hand fall on deaf ears, and soon Mia and her friends find themselves in grave danger.

Like any good horror movie, playing around with the dead doesn’t exactly endear the teens to the dearly departed, and soon find themselves in the middle of a series of gruesome and gnarly situations.

Talk To Me manages to break the tension with some well-deployed laughs, and the dry Aussie style of humour pairs really well with horror.

The genius of Talk To Me is that the film could have been made in 1953, 1983, or 2023, and still tell the same story.

The great hook of using a hand to talk to the dead and the user briefly becoming possessed is such a simple, but well-executed idea, and the filmmakers and game cast make the most out of it.

Every great horror movie needs a twist to keep it fresh, and because the directors come from a YouTube background, they explore and dive into the usage of social media among today’s teens.

The smartphone camera keeps rolling with these teens even when it becomes clear that their friend is inviting an unwanted spirit into their body, and in this case, the desire to go viral overrides the teens’ basic survival instinct, despite the spirits being reluctant to appear on someone’s Instagram story.

Unlike last year’s Bodies Bodies Bodies which quickly became insufferable and obnoxious to sit through, Talk To Me keeps the audience on its side with the tried and tested horror trick of promising something disgusting or scary happening every 10 minutes.

There is an undercurrent of grief running through Talk To Me, and while the idea of wanting to talk to a deceased relative one last time is a tempting idea to many, the film operates on the Pet Sematary mantra of “sometimes, dead is better.”

Any good horror movie involves having the audience shout “no, don’t do that!” and Talk To Me gleefully ignores the audience’s calls.

All told, Talk To Me is a fun calling card film for the Philippou brothers, and they will likely enjoy a stellar Hollywood horror career like their compatriot James Wan.

It is clear the directors, along with cinematographer Aaron McLisky, have done their homework on what scares people, and by giving old horror tropes and conventions a fresh coat of paint they have created an instant horror classic that is destined to scare fans for years to come.

Low-budget, practical horror has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years, and Talk To Me guarantees a bloody great night at the cinema.