In the last decade, there has been a transition of tone in popular horror movies. No longer do the bloody slasher movies or an endless supply of zombie films run the horror world, at least critically. Jennifer Kent, Robert Eggers, Jordan Peele, and Ari Aster have single-handedly, and fundamentally changed the genre, with the releases of popular fan favorites, like The Babadook, The VVitch, Hereditary, and Get Out.
The rise in the critical reception of traumatic, slow-burning horror has been on a sudden incline, leading to deeper, cutting, psychologically-driven movies across the board. The trend has spread throughout the filmmaking world, and from this, we’ve been awarded with some extremely strong and horrific movies from other directors, like Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man and David Bruckner’s The Night House.
Such is the case with A24’s Talk to Me, a new Australian supernatural horror flick from Danny and Michael Philippou, who previously worked as camera and crew members of The Babadook. The story is written by Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman, and Daley Pearson, and the film stars Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Zoe Terakes, and Sophie Wilde, in the lead role of Mia.
Talk to Me follows Mia (Wilde), who recently lost her mother to an accidental overdose, as she stays with her best friend Jade (Jensen), and Jade’s brother, Riley (Bird). After seeing a viral video of a local party game that involves connecting with the dead through embracing a plaster-covered mummified hand, Mia convinces Jade to tag along to not only find out if the game is real, but also in hopes of connecting with her dead mother.
The trio finds out the truth behind the game, and Mia becomes obsessed with contacting spirits in the afterlife, even at the expense of herself and those around her.
Related: The Cathartic Nature of Trauma-Based Horror Movies
Starting with the performances, Sophie Wilde is incredible as Mia. She perfectly plays this sort of half-charming, half-unlikable protagonist, who uses her grief to manipulate the situations around her. From little moments like using her mother’s death anniversary to convince her friends to go to a party, to begging that they endanger themselves for a chance for her to contact her deceased mother.
Her motivations make sense, though. Can we all honestly say we wouldn’t risk certain situations or people for a chance to have one more conversation with the person we grieve for and miss the most?
Wilde and company’s acting all turns up a notch when they decide to allow spirits in to temporarily take over them, as part of the game. They’re all extremely creepy and unsettling. Major props to the actors involved.
Without going into spoiler territory, the story was strong, overall. I think there are a few things I would have done differently regarding the outcome and a few rushed scenes, but they all kind of go back to the type of person Mia is, and her unwavering grief-formed need to get what she wants, when she wants it, dictates how the story plays out. The other characters are just along for Mia’s ride.
Unlike a lot of other movies in this tonal area or subgenre, I wouldn’t call Talk to Me a slow burn. In fact, the opening scene is brutal and wild enough to get the viewer invested immediately, and there aren’t many pacing issues throughout its brisk 95-minute runtime. I do think a longer cut could have explored Mia’s grief even further, really making the emotional impact of the movie’s events exceptional. It doesn’t go as emotionally hard as some of the other films in this territory, which I’m sure some other viewers are thankful for, but for me, it could have gone heavier.
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Speaking of brutality, though, Talk to Me is right there with a lot of these other trauma horror greats, like Hereditary or the 2018 Suspiria. You’re pretty much guaranteed to wince a few times throughout the film, as it has several eye-widening, violently gory moments, and some excellent makeup effects in both its gory and ghostly segments. Prepare for your jaw to drop.d
Talk to Me is a technical masterclass. Both Aaron McLisky’s cinematography and Cornel Wilczek’s score were haunting and perfectly crafted for each creeping scene; the duo worked together on the underrated and underseen Australian horror TV series, Glitch. I can’t wait to see them break out into bigger, more well-known films.
Although 2023 hasn’t been quite the anomaly for incredible horror films that 2022 was, there have been some absolute bangers. Talk to Me’s well-crafted and creepily atmospheric story, along with great gore and a phenomenal lead performance, easily cement it among the year’s best.
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I saw the trailer for this the other day, during my first trip to the cinema for years. It looked like an interesting watch, and this review has made me even keener to see it.