By Daion Walker
In today’s society, it is rare to find a horror movie that is bone-chilling. We often find ourselves leaving horror movies feeling lackluster or disappointed, but there is one movie this year that changed everything: Talk To Me. Talk To Me is an A24 horror movie directed by Australian YouTubers RackaRacka. The movie redefines horror with its multifaceted plot and blood-curdling visuals, that are sure to make you ponder and keep you up for nights on end. With social media and highly acclaimed critics calling Talk to Me the horror movie of the year, does the indie horror film live up to its hype? The simple answer is yes… Let Me Explain.
Talk to Me follows a group of friends who discover they are able to conjure spirits through a mysterious porcelain hand, but what happens once spirits decide to stay? In hindsight, the plot of Talk To Me sounds boring and familiar, but that’s the brilliance. Directors Danny & Micheal Phillippou take a plot that is so familiar in horror and put it through a unique psychological lens. It is clear throughout the film the hand represents a physical manifestation of addiction.
Those who let the spirits into their body describe the experience as a high or a rush much like drugs. Mia, to be specific, is at her lowest point in her life during the film. Dealing with the loss of her mother, the spirits sense her vulnerability and use it as an advantage to manipulate her, as she manipulates them to feel a sense of normalcy in her life again. It was seeing Mia spiral down the path of addiction as the movie progresses that made it such an emotional journey for me. We repeatedly see in today’s world how those in the lowest moments of their life turn to drugs for a sense of normalcy.
To say the least, the horror in Talk To Me is GUT-WRENCHING. There is a specific moment In the film where the imagery is so grotesque the entire theater covers their eyes in fear of the torture happening on screen. I personally remember wanting to tap out and leave due to the horrors appearing on the screen. Since the spirits are reminiscent of the deadites (a species of undead parasitic demonic spirits that feed on the souls of living creatures and possess their bodies) from the Evil Dead franchise, it may be hard for me to look at the spirits in this one. Each spirit is unique with its own personality and physical attributes that correlate to how it died. It was refreshing to see time and effort put into each individual spirit giving each their own personal story and unique look.
Overall, this film was amazing because Danny & Micheal Phillipou took a cliche plot and turned it into something exceptional. On the surface, we have a story about possession but once you analyze it you find a story about addiction and the effects drugs can have on an individual. The horror is over the top and brutal yet still enjoyable. The film manages to find a middle ground that is enjoyable for both casual movie fans and extreme horror cinephiles. It is an instant cult classic that will be remembered for years to come. Talk To Me arrives on VOD streaming services on September 12th, 2023 just in time to enjoy a horror movie during the beginning of spooky season!