MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Supernatural Horror/Stars: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen, Ari McCarthy, Sunny Johnson/Runtime: 95 minutes
I think it best to start this review off dear reader by asking you a simple question. That being: what the heck is up with teenagers nowadays? I mean not only can you not get them to comprehend that the world actually does NOT revolve around them to say nothing of the fact that food goes in your stomach NOT your Instagram stories as well as maybe just maybe that latest TikTok challenge (be it of the Tide Pod or other idiotic variety) might not be the best idea in the world for them to attempt on a variety of levels, but now I guess we adults (I use that word very loosely for myself) are also going to have to teach them something else. That being that if a friend invites you over to a party and brings out a hand that they claim will permit you to pull a type of Haley Joel Osment and interact with dead people…..maybe that’s not something you ought to be messing around with. Actually on second thought maybe that’s not something we have to teach them. Rather, we should just let the land of movie magic try to get through to them instead first because the odds that they will be able to get through to them might be, however marginally, better. All sarcastic jokes aside, and in case you hadn’t put two and five together dear reader, it is that aforementioned idea of the hand that lets you interact with the dead and the consequences of doing so which happens to be at the core of the narrative for the new slice of cinema, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today, Talk to Me. Indeed here is a slice of horror cinema that, like other films in this genre have done in the past 2 decades, manages to employ a sinister allegory to make a statement on a potentially perilous component of life for the modern teen. Yet unlike some other films that have gone down this particular avenue this one manages to actually chill the heck out of you from beginning to end in a wonderfully consistent manner. Suffice it to say then that the phrase talk to the hand might be in most cases an insult to whoever you are dishing it out to and there might be some issues to be found with this particular film, but with the aid of potent work both behind as well as in front of the camera, this is nevertheless one slice of cinema that manages to take that phrase to a terrifying place and in the process give movie goers a chilling new entry in horror cinema that fans of the genre are sure to embrace and watch time and time again.
The plot is as follows: Talk to Me gets its terrifying saga underway, following a terror-soaked prologue which I shan’t spoil for you here, by introducing us to our main character Mia. Mia, we rather quickly learn, is a 17-year-old girl who tragically hasn’t been having the best of times in the game of life at the moment our story opens. This is because not only did she tragically lose her mother to what appears to be suicide two years prior to the start of our sinister saga, but her father has also been very distant with her as a result. Perhaps this is why we see that our heroine has managed to find herself a surrogate family unit in the form of her BFF Jade as well as Jade’s little brother Riley respectively. It is also why perhaps that we soon see as Mia, with Jade and Riley in tow, decides to sneak out and head to a house party even though the hosts of said party find her a bit on the….weird side to put it politely. Yet, among the mingling and underage drinking, we soon see the night take a turn when our heroine is introduced to the main event at the party. That being the alleged hand of a medium which the teens have decided to transform into a bit of a game. That being that they light some candles, grab the hand, and say the phrase “Talk to me”. Doing so, the teens claim, will permit you to meet and interact with any spirits the hand is able to conjure up at that time. After that, you are to utter the phrase “I let you in” in order to be completely taken over by the spirit that you have been interacting with. With that said though, there is a distinct caveat to all of this. That being that you must blow the candle out within 90 seconds otherwise you run the risk of permitting the spirit to stay in your body forever. Suffice it to say then that it should come as no surprise to learn that our heroine, seeing an opportunity to possibly shed the image of her that her peers hold, decides to take part in this rather distinct “game” for lack of a better word. An experience that, upon completion, she feels was incredible albeit also a wee bit spooky. Apparently it doesn’t bother her too much though because it isn’t long before we see her and her bestie, with the other teens, having another gathering and once more the hand is brought out for all who are willing to interact with. However when things, big surprise here, go awry this time due to a reckless choice on our heroine’s part we see that the line separating the spirits and our world is dissolved and what started out as an “innocent enough game” has now turned into no more or less than a waking nightmare. One that, by the time its done, will have changed the lives of our heroine and the others in ways they could never imagine….
Now right off the ol’ hand, it should be said that much in the same manner that similar horror film It Follows gave us an evil that was supposed to act as a horror-tinged metaphor for the potential perils of teens having sex to say nothing of STD’s in general, this slice of cinema also gives us an evil that is supposed to serve as a representation for a real world terror. That terror in this case however is not teen sex, but instead takes the shape and form of drugs a teen might choose to partake in while at a party as well as the fallout that could occur if a teen becomes addicted to the drugs in question respectively. As a result, we see that this real-world horror is utilized as the core for a rather distinct horror slice of cinema that I have no doubt will make fans of this genre smile from ear to ear. Indeed in many respects this horror film can best be described as the cinematic equivalent to witnessing a group of people, even after being told time and time again what a dumb idea it is, play with a pack of matches. Sure it might seem fun at first, and the film definitely showcases that very well, but the moment the group in question, however lightly, gets touched by the flames we see that from that moment on, this slice of cinema takes us down a terrifying rabbit hole and smack dab into the middle of a nightmare that will both intrigue and terrorize in equal measure. We also see that through the act of giving us its all, this slice of cinema is able to take a crucial moment near the conclusion of act one to split this narrative which then permits it to deploy its sinister idea in quite a few terrific ways. I mean, without going into spoilers, this is a film where we see not only what could occur if a possession went too horribly and viscerally far thus requiring our heroes to try and find a solution, but we also see what would happen if someone began to really form too much of an attachment with trying to speak to the dead in order to get closure on certain personal matters. To be sure, there are some run of the mill moments that occur in this as a result right down to a scene where a “wise person” comes in and provides an explanation to what’s going on. Thankfully not only does the movie not spend a lot of time on them, but we also see that film does a great job at letting creativity and genuine stakes be conjured up mostly from the main characters rather than any side characters. Yet whilst this slice of cinema’s genuine degree of creativity is most assuredly something to be astonished by, it should come as no surprise to learn that it’s the collection of chills that it’s operating with which make this quite the odyssey embarking on. Yes the moments of possession early in the narrative are spine-tingling to say nothing of what we see when a character decides to hold the hand, but fortunately this film’s helmers brilliantly comprehend how crucial increasing the intensity is to a film like this. As a result, when our characters actually have a possession go terrifyingly awry, we see that not only are you able to personally feel the genuine terror felt by the characters, but you also would not be surprised to see your heart leap out of your chest, run away, and not come back until the movie was over. Suffice it to say that when you also factor into this spooky soup some terrific nightmare fodder practical effects work, intelligent and potent work in the editing department, and an effective music score from Cornel Wilczek, I think it can be safely said that the work done behind the camera is nothing short of phenomenal.
Of course, the other big element that helps this nightmarish saga succeed on the level that it does would have to be in regards to the work done by this film’s top-flight cast of performers in front of the camera as well. This starts with relative newcomer Sophie Wilde who, in the lead role of Mia, is nothing short of fantastic. Indeed here is a character that has to not only be the typical teen in quite a few aspects, but also someone who has to be scarred from the trauma that she is still desperately trying to heal from as well as, as the film goes on, more and more afraid of what she is going through and experiencing yet also obsessed with getting to the bottom of it and her mom’s death. Suffice it to say that it is an extremely difficult mix to pull off yet Wilde manages to do so in a way that is not only incredibly nuanced, but also very much worthy of our sympathy as an audience. As a result, yes Mia does make some questionable choices in this movie, but Wilde’s performance definitely goes a long way toward making those choices a bit more on the understandable side than they might have been otherwise. Thus this is one heck of a lead performance and I definitely hope that it leads to bigger and better cinematic efforts for Wilde in the future. Along with the work done here by Wilde though, it really is worth noting dear reader that the rest of the group of young performers at the heart of this terrifying trip into the core of nothing less than a bonafide nightmare all manage to do really good here as well with their respective characters. Indeed everyone from Alexandra Jensen, who is terrific as Mia’s bestie Jade and Joe Bird who, as Jade’s little brother Riley, gets quite the chilling arc to go through in this slice of cinema especially at a certain point which heavily reminded me of an equally as wince-worthy scene that Alex Wolff had in 2018’s Hereditary all the way to Zoe Terakes as Hayley and Chris Alosio as Joss all do a fantastic job at not only conveying their own ever-growing horror at the events which occur in this movie, but also in acting like genuine teenagers would if they ever found themselves caught up in such a terrifying set of circumstances be it good or bad. Suffice it to say that when you also factor into the mix a pitch-perfect performance from Miranda Otto in the supporting role of Jade’s no-nonsense mom Sue as well as a wonderfully on-point yet lower key turn from Marcus Johnson in the role of Mia’s severely withdrawn father Max, I think it can safely be said that this is one cast of players that all, no matter how big or small their role in the grand scheme of things may be, manage to bring their collective best to this slice of horror cinema and as such do their part to bring this tale of terror as vividly to life as they possibly can.
All in all and at the end of the day is Talk to Me a perfect slice of horror cinema? Honestly no, but then again few entries in the horror realm of movie magic manage to pull that one off. At the same time though, is this one of the worst horror movies I have seen in the past 10 years let alone ever? Oh heck no! Not even close! Indeed it might have its fair share of issues here and there, including the fact that the narrative does start to get on a teeny tiny bit of shaky ground near the end, but truth be told I really did dig the heck out of this slice of cinema dear reader. I mean here is a slice of cinema that not only has a refreshingly original (gasp!) narrative that it wants to regale you with, but it then manages to do so whilst also providing you with a cast of relatable and extremely well-acted characters, quite a few chills going down your spine, and work behind the camera that is just downright masterful in its execution. More than that though, this is one hybrid of Evil Dead and Insidious, with a bit of The Monkey’s Paw thrown in for good measure, that also manages to be quite potent from an emotional perspective as well and will most likely strike a chord with anyone who has ever lost a loved one and is still struggling to come to grips with it no matter how much time has passed since it happened. Suffice it to say then that, with the aid of potent work on both sides of the camera, Talk to Me is not only a wonderful debut for some bold new voices in the realm of horror cinema. Rather, it is also cinematic proof that sometimes there are lines that just aren’t meant to be crossed regardless of how many views on TikTok or other social media sites you might get for choosing to do so. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Talk to Me a solid 4 out of 5.
