Yahoo Movies Talk to Me is a terrifying horror that's hard to forget
It's easy to forget in the mania around Barbenheimer that there are actually other movies being released in July, and Talk to Me should act as the twisted dessert to that feast of a double-bill.
The Australian horror movie marks the feature debut of YouTube duo RackaRacka, aka twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, and it's based on an idea by Daley Pearson, who you might recognise as Darryl from Team Thor or as the executive producer of hit childrens' animation series Bluey.
But while that combination could lead you to expect something light-hearted and funny, think again. Talk to Me is meticulously crafted to scare the shit out of you, haunting you long after the credits have rolled.
Fun for all the family this isn't.
Talk to Me unsettles you from the first sequence. At a crowded party, a young man attempts to get to his brother who has been acting disturbingly. His attempts end violently with a stabbing and a suicide, instantly jolting your adrenaline before the title has even been revealed.
Things calm down a bit as we're introduced to Mia (Sophie Wilde) who is still struggling with the loss of her mother. She's close to her best friend Jade's (Alexandra Jensen) family, including Jade's brother Riley (Joe Bird) and mother Sue (Miranda Otto), more than she is with her own father Max (Marcus Johnson).
In order to let off steam on the two-year anniversary of her mother's death, Mia persuades Jade to go to a nearby party. But this is no typical house party as its central attraction is an embalmed hand which is said to be able to conjure spirits, with Mia more than happy to be a test subject.
But what starts off as supernatural larks ends up being much more sinister, leaving Mia's life – and the lives of everybody she loves – in danger of a terrifying force that she can't control.
Talk to Me continues a strong year for horror that has included the likes of Evil Dead Rise, M3GAN and Infinity Pool, and it's arguably the most terrifying and shocking of the lot. Evil Dead Rise obviously had its gory moments, but you're primed for them given the series; here, they come when you're at your most vulnerable.
Case in point, a stand-out sequence where Mia and others are messing around with the hand. It feels authentic as the teens take turns on the hand, fearless of any consequences and cracking lines like, "This spirit's a c**t". You're sucked into the revelry until one possession goes wrong in the most painful way.
Like the shock before the title sequence, Talk to Me consistently delivers moments such as this, moments that the phrase 'What the f**k?' was made for. With creepy sound motifs like a door being scratched and an ominous score by Cornel Wilczek, it's a horror experience expertly designed to put you on edge.
You'll almost be glad that the movie only runs just over 90 minutes long as it's such an intense experience. It might have familiar building blocks – possession plus horror as a grief metaphor – but it surprises in the darkest ways.
A critical aspect of Talk to Me's success is the excellent central performance from Sophie Wilde as Mia. It's a committed and riveting performance, with Wilde taking on the emotional weight of the movie. As the movie threatens to unravel in its final act, it's Wilde who keeps things together.
Because as much as you might be glad it's not two hours of terror, the movie does feel somewhat rushed in wrapping up its story. Its exposition about the hand is pleasingly kept to throwaway lines, yet it does feel like it races to its climax as the expense of a well-rounded story.
Still, Talk to Me finds an unnerving note to end on as long as you don't think about the logic too much. There's so much strength elsewhere, from the performances to the chilling imagery and more, that you can forgive a lapse in storytelling.
It's an impressive calling card for RackaRacka and their leading star, and a horror that's hard to forget.
Talk to Me is released in cinemas on July 28.
You Might Also Like
