Talk to Me is an Australian supernatural horror film directed by brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, known as RackaRacka. The film follows a group of teenagers who mess around with an embalmed hand, allowing them to contact spirits, but things get a little hectic, and their lives get turned upside down.

I left the cinema feeling incredibly sad after watching “Talk to Me”, I mean don’t get me wrong it’s an incredible film but my gosh I found it so sad and heartbreaking. Sophie Wilde’s Mia is a character drenched in grief and as the film progresses, we watch this grief evolve, the film makes it seem like Mia can’t escape the hold of these malevolent spirits but it’s her grief that she can’t escape. I love the idea the film introduces to us that our grief and trauma can be gateways for spirits or other forces to feed off us, granted this has been done before by other films, but it’s the wonderful performance from Sophie Wilde that carries this film and makes it feel fresh and exciting. Her portrayal of Mia is simply divine, the way in which Sophie handles the complexities of grief and trauma and how she’s also able to transform into a scream queen we can root for.

The story hooked me from the get-go, I thought that it was well throughout, the characters made sense and they all had a purpose. It was emotional and provided us with the right amounts of gore and terror, and it truly had us wondering what would happen next, I do think that some may find the ending a little bit uneven, but the ending does leave room for excitement for the sequel.

I found the film to be very captivating, visuals-wise. Its use of practical effects to drive home the dread and make our skin crawl is fantastic. The violence never seems like a bit too much, it feels appropriate and has the right balance of harshness and horror, however, I do have to wonder if the film couldn’t have pushed itself further in this regard, or this could just be my problem because I’m always looking for films to push their boundaries.

Overall, “Talk to Me” is a film that is not shy of genuine scares, uneasiness, and dread. It has wonderful intensity with enough repulsive energy to make your stomach turn. Its effective direction and solid performances make it one of the highlights of the year in terms of horror, and it seems to be a really exciting new franchise to look forward to, I highly recommend it.