TALK TO ME (2022) Review by Steve Kirkham

TALK TO ME (2022)
4 stars
Second Sight Films. Limited Edition 4K & Blu-ray Box Set and Standard Edition 4K and Blu-ray. Out Now

You know what they say – it’s all fun and games, till somebody gets hurt…

A noisy rowdy party. Cole is frantically looking for his brother Duckett. He breaks the door in and takes him out of the room – except Duckett then stabs him to death and kills himself in front of everyone. That’s some way to start a movie.

Thankfully twin brother directors Danny and Michael Philippou manage to deliver on that opener with a thrilling teen horror, working from a script by Danny and Bill Hinzman.

Mia (Sophie Wilde) is struggling as it’s the anniversary of her Mum’s death, two years previously. That evening she picks up Riley (Joe Bird), younger brother of her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen), as his sister forgot to collect him. As they are driving she has to stop as there is a dying kangaroo lying in the road – but she can’t bring herself to put it out of its misery.

Back at Jade’s, the two friends decide to sneak out – along with younger brother, which Jade is resistant to – to check out the veracity of a video they have seen online of folks looking like they are possessed by some kind of demonic force. When they get to the gathering there are bunch of other teens drinking, listening to music and, inevitably, looking at their phones.

The main event arrives and Mia volunteers. She sits in a chair facing everyone else and is strapped in. Out comes a ceramic hand sculpture with words scrawled all over it – she must grip it and say the words “Talk to me… I let you in”. There are rules of course – It mustn’t go for longer than 90 seconds, otherwise the invoked spirit won’t leave your body…

Everyone has their phones out to video the event. As time is running down they finally manage to pull the hand away, but they went a bit over the allotted time – which you know won’t be good. Of course everyone is skeptical that anything actually really happened.

Next day Jade invites Joss (Chris Alosio), who has the hand, and the others, over to her place that evening, as her mum will be out. Her boyfriend Daniel (Otis Dhanji) wants a turn – which doesn’t go so well. Then it becomes a party, with everyone taking a turn, as they think nothing of it. That is until young Riley persuades them to let him have a go over the objections of his sister. Things get shockingly bloody very quickly – What has been unleashed?

The use of the hand is a simple yet highly effective device and the directors, in their debut after being YouTube creators, ring maximum tension out of it. The excellent young cast, especially Sophie Wilde, manage to build characters you care about, thanks to the sharp script, which really delivers. The film is superbly shot by Aaron McLisky.

Steve Kirkham

EXTRAS
Two audio commentaries – Emma Westwood and Sally Christie/Directors Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou

Interviews with Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou (52 mins); Producer Samantha Jennings (19 mins); Cinematographer Aaron McLisky (25 mins)

Contagion: Kat Ellinger on Talk to Me (16 mins)

Two archival Behind the Scenes (both 8 mins each)

Deleted Scenes (6 mins)

Cast Interviews (22 mins) and Crew Interviews (15 mins)

With the limited edition you also get rigid slipcase with new artwork by Ann Bembi/120-page book with new essays by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Kat Hughes, Meagan Navarro, Cecilia Sayad, Rebecca Sayce and Amber T and 6 collectors’ art cards