
“Talk to Me,” directed by Danny and Michael Philippou delves into the gruesome reality behind the growing digital craze and how it would leave the entire generation scared. Seemingly, the core aspect of the horror movie is its plausibility. The teenagers who can access the game now see dead people, and with a ceramic severed hand, the youth is finally able to invite spiritual possession. Mia, Jade, and her younger brother, Riley, are names of the Aussie teens at the center of this new trend. The hand is covered in symbols and names, alluding to the numerous previous owners. The jump of the camera and mixed sounds of shattering glass and silence in tandem with the pupils turning pitch black make their plunge into chaos seem exhilarating. Their friends are jubilant, their bodies jerking as if they are choking on air. And from the scenes, it is purely indulging, reminiscent of the nostalgia behind the Tide pod challenge back in the day.
This is remarkable for contemporary horror tales, in this instance having its genesis in Australia. It becomes readily apparent, for instance, that if the first “Scream” set the pace of teenage psychopathic rhetoric singularly limited to youth, “Talk to Me” and for that matter, its prequel, have the huge potential of moving one step further.
The mourning process featured in this first installment is characterized by grotesque strategies that one can obtain after looking too deep into the possession of a human being. The game starts small and simple with an enthusiastic pitch that targets the gut and this is where the game begins.
Mia is severely freaked out when one of the spirits Riley overtakes reveals itself to be Mia’s mother, who committed suicide two years prior. Or at least she claims to be. Everything changes in an instant when one devastating spirit takes complete control of young Rile’s body and claustrophobically puts him in a coma. There are rules to this dance with death that allow this experience to be ‘safely’ enjoyed. In a split screen where possessive play is mixed in with partying, along with superb fun, we get the impression of what things are like for Mia, with the hand’s current owners being Joss and Hayley.
Due to Sophie Wilde’s brilliant acting, the second half of “Talk to Me” receives every layer of trauma since it becomes yet another recent horror movie that is based on the trauma of the loss.
The scenario isn’t solely about Mia wanting to remain in touch with her mom, but also her motivation not to lose her family- Jade, Riley, and their strict mom, Sue, who is played with stern intensity by Miranda Otto. It is very much a character word to ache for Mia especially having her as a bright spot in the family. She indeed stands out with her yellow and purple constant usage which makes beautiful scenes of her with Riley quite sweet, to say the least. An example is when the Philippous is in the middle of a cut of the two of them while singing Sia’s Chandelier in a car during nighttime time Riley’s Grab Wilde embodies feverish youthful energy displaying the perfect balance between the future that’s nearly jeopardized and painful past. While attempting to hack the hand’s magic promised reality in the sole form of isolation. We could have had a more rote approach without such voluminous work, but the expansive work put it the work is what makes this film marketably convincing. The historic implant in the big screen marking Wilde’s tragic presentation of her unbelievably different interpretation makes it one for the horror movie history books.
It’s almost always the kids who dominate the pages of the snaps or TikTok of them getting possessed but the Philippous pretty much hide them from us and say that we don’t need to see them.
The characters grow more stubborn, putting more lives in danger when all hope is lost. “Talk to Me” has the essential premise of a coming-of-age story, while also having insane moments of shocking disbelief by the audience. The Philippous’ filming comes from YouTube, where they are known as RackaRacka. Their view of the world is more astute than it is cynical.
“Talk to Me” is filled with nasty fun, having a blend of blood-dripping head wounds and eye-wincing sound design without using jump scares. The movie does not play nice, having a tone that many people will appreciate.
In addition, the film’s mischievous possession moments keep on improving (the movie’s younger actors are quite good at squirming in those chairs even if the possession make-up technique is far too recognizable from many other films). But “Talk to Me” risks overestimating its good one surprise cut pitched effectively best fulfilled later. It is difficult not to envision how its gripping opening scene of terror set in a party sounds like a standalone red heron not pursued by the rest of the film. This film’s restraint is commendable, and most appreciated in the many instances where the camera shoots adults’ terrified faces tight so that anticipation of what particular spirit they are viewing builds. But still, “Talk to Me,” aims too much to preserve the outstanding concept, but thankfully manages to avoid it.
No matter if we get a further go with this set of divination bones, “Talk to Me” shall forever remain one of the powerful and alluring debuts on the directing spectrum of the Philippous, the style in which they effortlessly blend hyperactive YouTube fight and prank videos bursts onto the scene in the form of emotional ruins in the movie.
With such a playful mockery of a possession tale, the Philippous have seamlessly transitioned to feature-making but it will take a little more genre invention for us to maintain conversation.
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