Directed by: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Written by: Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman, Daley Pearson

Of all the horror movies I’ve covered for FlixChatter over the past seven years, few have truly scared me. Very few have made me white-knuckle clench my steering wheel on the long, dark drive home from the cities and watch funny cat videos on YouTube to bring my heart rate back down to normal before going to bed. 2018’s Hereditary is the last one that comes to mind- but now, I can add Talk to Me to that category. 

In the film Talk to Me, what starts as a fun party activity for a group of Australian high school students communicating with the dead via an embalmed hand- spirals into something much more dangerous when Mia (Sophie Wilde) lets the game go on a little too long, unleashing potentially deadly consequences on the people she loves.

This movie is brutal in the best possible ways. While the beginning is a little too slow for my liking, the rest of the movie is excellently paced, building exquisite, stomach-churning tension the whole way through. The makeup design for the various spirits and the possessed individuals is perfectly unsettling. And while it’s not Saw-levels of gory, there are a few especially bloody scenes that will stick with you after leaving the theater. 

The cast is exceptional as well. Sophie Wilde is so expressive and gives such a frantic, heartbreaking performance. Joe Bird as Riley, the younger brother of Mia’s best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) is so sweet and likable and has great chemistry with Sophie. Zoe Terakes (Hayley) and Chris Alosio (Joss) bring a bit of much-needed levity as the ringleaders of the paranormal party game. And while her role isn’t a large one, Miranda Otto is delightful as Sue, Riley, and Jade’s mother,

My only big gripe has to do with the ending. I won’t give anything away, but it feels like by leaving too much unexplained regarding the haunted hand, they wrote themselves into a corner with how to wrap up everything. I mostly enjoy horror movies that don’t overexplain themselves, but this one left things a little too vague to build to a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, though, Talk to Me is an excellent, impactful addition to the horror genre. While I don’t think it has much re-watchability value, it’s absolutely worth checking out once, that is for viewers with a strong stomach.

Have you seen TALK TO ME? Well, what did you think?

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