Talk To Me, the feature debut from Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, shares a great deal in common with It Follows – the critically-acclaimed 2014 film from David Robert Mitchell. Both are high concept horror movies that utilize creepy metaphors to comment on a dangerous aspect of modern teenage life, and both inspired a huge wave of buzz prior to their theatrical runs via premieres at major festivals. About a decade following its release, It Follows is now looked upon as one of the best examples of the genre in the 21st century, and Talk To Me feels destined for a similar legacy.
Release Date: July 28, 2023
Directed By: Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou
Written By: Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman, and Daley Pearson
Starring: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Chris Alosio, Zoe Terakes, Otis Dhanji, and Miranda Otto
Rating: R for strong/bloody violent content, some sexual material and language throughout
Runtime: 94 minutes
But here’s where it gets special: while It Follows is a movie that falters in its third act as it struggles to find a proper final conflict that builds on the terrific concept, Talk To Me is a more complete experience that consistently freaks the audience out with special and clever ideas. It shocks without ever feeling cheap, builds mythology without being burdened by exposition, and provides a stellar showcase for newcomer Sophie Wilde, who plays the film’s lead, Mia.
When we meet the protagonist of Talk To Me, she is in a dark place, deeply depressed after the recent death of her mother. Her relationship with her father (Marcus Johnson) is fractured, and as a result, she spends most of her time with her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) and Jade's younger brother, Riley (Joe Bird). Ever seeking distraction, Mia becomes fascinated by videos shared in a group chat of young people becoming possessed and freaking out at local parties, and she decides that she wants to experience it herself – though Jade remains skeptical about the whole thing.
At a late night get together with friends Hayley (Zoe Terakes) and Joss (Chris Alosio), as well as Jade’s boyfriend Daniel (Otis Dhanji), they discover that it is all very real. Joss is in possession of a ceramic hand that has some mind of mystical connection to the afterlife. You light a candle – “to open the door,” as Haley explains – you hold the hand, and you say the phrase, “Talk to me.” If you can get past the shock of seeing a corpse in front of you and say the phrase, “I let you in,” the ghost is permitted to possess you as long as you continue to hold on to the hand and the candle remains lit. But all party-goers and participants are warned that you can only stay possessed for 90 seconds, as the longer the spirit stays inside your body, the more it wants to stay.
Talk To Me takes a simple metaphor and makes horror magic out of it.
In the same way that It Follows creates an evil force that represents the dangers of teenage sex and sexually transmitted diseases, Talk To Me delivers an allegory for party drugs and the risks that come with abuse of them, and that idea is used as a foundation for a genre film that will make horror fans giddy. It starts with the fun that comes with watching characters play with fire, the movie delivering the vibe that comes with being at a hopping house party with a bunch of friends. But everything flips when the group is first singed and then burned, and from that point forward it’s a terrifying tumble down into hell that fascinates and frightens.
Leaving nothing on the table, the film utilizes one pivotal sequence at the end of the first act to bifurcate the story, and this serves to let the movie utilize its creepy conceit in multiple fantastic ways. Without giving too much away, on one side we see what happens when a possession gets out of control and horribly violent, setting up a dire emergency and the protagonists searching for a resolution, but Mia simultaneously develops a personal obsession trying to understand how to communicate with the dead so that she can get answers about her mother’s passing.
There are some familiar beats that come from a place of necessity (such as the friends making an effort to learn where the hand came from), but it doesn’t dwell on them, and audiences need not fear a sequence where a token psychic/shaman/spiritualist enters the picture and explains everything. Talk To Me is too nimble and fresh for that in its plotting, as it lets ingenuity as well as emotional stakes come almost exclusively from the main characters. It’s refreshing and impressive.
Both smart and scary, Talk To Me finds a number of ways to freak you out.
Talk To Me’s creativity is to be marveled at, but its scares are what make it a ride. The possessions early on are unnerving, as are the looks at the corpses that pop into frame when characters grasp the ceramic hand, but Danny and Michael Philippou understand the importance of escalation. When the leads first have the experience of a possession going violently wrong, it’s a chaotic and bloody nightmare that invites the audiences to personally experience the raw panic of the moment, and it sends your heart rate to the roof. Of course, it only proves to be an appetizer for what’s to come.
Between horrifying practical effects, startling uses of darkness and negative space, sharp and effective editing, and devilish inspiration, the filmmakers make use of a great number of fascinating tools to freak out movie-goers. With special moments that will stick with you for days if not weeks, it’s catnip for genre fans and guaranteed nightmare-fuel for the sensitive.
Star Sophie Wilde delivers a knock out performance in Talk To Me.
After years of building their successful RackaRacka YouTube channel, Danny and Michael Philippou instantly emerge as filmmakers to watch with their feature debut, but the special impression made by Sophie Wilde demands recognition as well. Between her grief, her fun-loving spirit that masks said grief, her fascination with possession, her deep care for those close to her, and her desperation to learn more about what happened to her mother, Mia is a complex character that demands the skills of a multifaceted performer, and Wilde is a revelation in the role. It’s a demonstration of phenomenal potential, and not just as a future scream queen (though that’s obviously very much on the table).
Talk To Me premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, which is where it was scooped up for distribution by A24 – and it’s a perfect addition to the studio’s genre portfolio, slotting in alongside excellence like Green Room, In Fabric, The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar, Ex Machina and more. Paired with the fact that there is presently a clear appetite for original horror, circumstances feel primed for the film to become an instant favorite among fans and for it to be remembered for delivering one of the most fun movie-going experiences of 2023.
