It’s scary movie season, but even as horror films remain one of the most important and profitable component of theatrical moviegoing, there always seem to be one or two genuine cult hits. Talk to Me, the new A24 hit coming out of Australia by way of Sundance, is just such a film that fits the bill. This directorial debut of by Australian brothers Danny and Michael Phillippou (better known as the creators behind the YouTube channel RackaRacka for the last ten years) is one of the cult hits of the year, making over $90 million on a $4.5 million budget, even outgrossing Hereditary at the domestic box office.
There’s nothing quite like the moviegoing experience of being scared out of your wits on the big screen, and Talk to Me brings all the fun and thrills you can expect from an acclaimed horror film. The story follows a few high school friends who come across a severed, embalmed hand, which if clasped while saying the words “talk to me”, would allow a randomly selected spirit to communicate with and possess the living person for up to 90 seconds. With the use of cell phone videos, these hangouts become a viral hit, and the teenagers continue to push the limits until they go out of control.
The apparent metaphors for drugs, social media, and eating tide pods or whatever current teenage challenges go on these days are clear enough, and the Philippou brothers also try to imbue some backstory with (surprise surprise) a tragic past, but it’s really the terrifying and visceral thrills that impress here. RackaRacka’s guerilla-style YouTube experience serves them well in successfully making this leap to feature length films, while losing none of the whooping sense of physicality and personality to the film, the characters, and the set pieces.
The tension is palpable through its 95 minute runtime – there are some cliches and tropes, and a few points where the film drags just ever so slightly, but by and large those are just moments that allow you to catch your breath momentarily before thing speed up again, like a roller coaster ride. It’s always refreshing to see wholly original content do well, and the ending is perfect, but it’s really the handful of hair-raising, I-can’t-believe-what-I’m-seeing set pieces in the middle that will stay with you.
Available for rent on VOD.
