G’day, mate.

I had no idea this was an Australian production. I also did not know that Australian horror movie productions were so freaky and scary.

Talk to Me is the latest horror movie that proves that teenagers, especially older teens, do dumb shit.

According to the official synopsis, “When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world forcing them to choose who to trust: the dead or the living“

This movie was very tense and filled with suspense and real scares, and it did it with a limited number of jump scares (if any at all). The scares come from the characters and what is happening to them, not just something jumping out from the dark.

The cast is excellent in portraying these horrors throughout. The cast is led by Sophie Wilde, who played the main protagonist Mia, Alexandra Jensen as Mia’s best friend Jade, and Jade’s younger brother Riley, played by Joe Bird. These three carry the heavy load of the film and they do an excellent job with it.

I absolutely believe that these kids do this hand thing, welcoming spirits into their bodies, in order to film it and put it on the internet. I have seen way too many challenges that get picked up by this age group on YouTube or TikTok to find it hard to accept.

I did have some difficulties in the details of the plot, as some of the rules that are laid out are not very sensical. I would also say that the wrap up of the storyline is a touch messy for my tastes.

The visuals of the film are very well done, look great and do their job as a way to be scary or disturbing.

The film also goes out of its way to give these character backgrounds, especially Mia whose tragic background is vital for the film to work.

Talk to Me is a solid film from A24 from first time directors Danny and Michael Philippou. They deliver a atmospheric film with disturbing imagery and some excellent acting from the young cast.

3.75 stars