Talk to Me

Talk to Me is an enjoyable little ghost story from the antipodes that doesn't try to get an audience response with cheap scares, but instead spends a good amount of time on the relationships between the main characters. The concept of ghost séances as risky fun for careless zoomers is an interesting premise that could sound utterly ridiculous in the wrong hands, but here it works very solidly, thanks mainly to the believable and not annoying characters of Australian teenagers. (01/26/2023)

The much-praised Australian horror film Talk to Me was supposed to be my dark horse this year. I was looking forward to it since the first trailer, and the rave reviews from abroad only increased my hype, plus the proven studio A24. But in the end I'm slightly disappointed. For a debut, Talk to Me is definitely very mature and noteworthy, but I didn't feel the right spark. So first I'll sum up the pros. The biggest asset is the original idea, we follow a ghostly séance of young Australian teenagers using a mummified hand, where they get possessed by a random ghost for 90 seconds. The appearance of the ghosts is creepy and these séances are fun until things go wrong, of course. (The twist is pleasantly brutal!). But just when the viewer thinks the film is finally going to get going, sadly the best part is over. The characters, who can act and who aren't downright annoying, are interesting. The make up effects are good, the film is technically up to par, and it's very nice to see that it’s is not a PG-13 but an R-rated ghost story, though it can't be said that the viewer gets proper gore. Not many characters die, and the more brutal scenes are three at most, so the potential to unleash more savagery was definitely there. There are few jump-scares, and the atmosphere isn't too scary either, it's more of a psychological drama most of the time, where we do see ghosts, but they don't make any mess of the characters or the viewer. Most of all, I was let down by the weak finale, which can't be called a finale, because the film doesn't go anywhere. It's worth a strong 3 stars because some elements were fine and there's a sense of a different approach, but the slower pace, few scary attractions and weaker finale don't let me go for 4. I’ll have to wait for Saw X, The Exorcist Believer and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. 6/10. (08/07/2023)

Based on their internet videos, one might get the impression that the brothers Danny and Michael Philippou are just a couple of louts riding the wave of post-Jackass dumbfuckery and YouTuber bullshit. Their feature-length debut is thus all the more surprising, as it is a very intense genre flick with precision craftsmanship, as well as an absorbingly sensitive work that is able to thought-provokingly address a full range of the young generation’s frustration and general depressing issues without in any way coming across as being too clever for its own good or in-your-face. Talk to Me radiates fierce energy, formalistic boisterousness and devastating horror intensity that brings to mind the first Evil Dead, though Sam Raimi put his supreme talent to use solely in the interest of genre entertainment with very little reach beyond the confines of the screen. By comparison, the Philippou brothers expressively thematise motifs such as the depressing tension that comes with the pressure to fit into the group and the endless provocations and ever-present danger of making a fool of oneself under the watchful eye of social media. The backbone of the brilliantly constructed narrative consists in the coming to terms with the loss of a loved one and the associated risk of falling into the abyss of depression and blaming oneself. The film manages to present this subject with sobering empathy and a powerfully intense sense of dread. (09/30/2023)

A great ghost-horror movie in a new interpretation, with the fine idea of connecting with the “other side” and realistic teenage characters whose relationship drama is equally as strong and important as the mystery dimension. Unfamiliar faces, an increasingly gloomy mood and a bad-ass conclusion to the story. An Australian debut feature with the qualitative parameters of producer Jason Blum’s best pieces. (01/14/2024)

You wouldn't think that in the ghost subgenre you could come up with something original. A really interesting, original premise, physically uncomfortable in places, an intense flick without cheap clichés and stale scares (there are a few and they're good). And with likeable new faces, all of them acting great. To make this as a rookie debut, well, hats off to them. (10/12/2023)