Talk to Me movie review - Aussieboyreviews

WILL HORROR FANS SEE TALK TO ME AS A FLICK WORTH TALKING ABOUT?

Finally, in cinemas now is a terrifying horror movie that isn’t choking on over-the-top clichés or bloody violence for scares. Talk to me is a simple, yet incredibly clever, twisted and compelling horror movie created by YouTube brothers.

Storyline

A group of teenage friends become intrigued in the thrill of using an embalmed hand to conjure spirits, but things turn ugly when one of them unleashes a terrifying supernatural curse.

Movie Images

Movie details

Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Cast: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes
Writer: Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman
Release Date (Australia): 27 July 2023
Runtime: 95 minutes/1h 35m
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Country: Australia
Language: English

CONTENT GUIDE (warning: May contain spoilers)

Themes (MA15+)

The film contains verbal and visual references to suicide, as well as supernatural and horror themes, including sustained scenes of demonic possession and a supernatural curse that cause victims to commit acts of self-harm and suicide.

Violence (MA15+)

The film contains strong supernatural violence accompanied by injury detail and large spurts of blood, including stabbings and bloody depictions of characters committing acts of self-harm and suicide whilst under demonic possession.

Coarse Language (MA15+)

The film features a use of the word “c**t”, as well as frequent and occasionally aggressive use of the words “f**k”, “s**t”, “d**k” and “bitch”.

Drug Use (PG)

There is a brief verbal reference to marijuana use.

Sex (PG)

The film includes crude verbal references to oral sex and other sexual acts.

mpaa rating

R (for strong/bloody violent content, some sexual material and language throughout)

Aussie boy's thoughts

Talk to Me is the feature film directorial debut of popular Australian YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou, and especially for first-time filmmakers, this is just an excellent horror movie loaded with a sense of dread that you should definitely see. It may not have the most promising title and the same budget that explosive action movies work with, but you’ll probably be more towards the edge of your seat than most films can do.

The storyline is very simple; a group of teenage friends begin to seek thrills by using an embalmed hand to see and communicate with unusual spirits, until one of these teens lets a spirit in for too long. The spirit doesn’t want to leave his body, and it possesses him into committing horrific acts, such as extreme self-mutilation. It’s violent, disturbing and there’s lots of blood to see, so it’s obviously not one to bring the kids along to see.

It feels so rare nowadays that moviegoers and horror fans get to see a strong cinema flick that actually frightens them, and you’d never expect that kind of horror movie to come from a pair of Aussie YouTube brothers with a budget of less than $5 million. Well, this film is extremely creepy and utterly terrifying, not necessarily relying on cheap jump-scares and violence to scare you. The sense of dread picks up from the first time we see them communicating with the dead, and a twisted final scene leaves you with thoughts, wonders and goosebumps.

Settling in with the characters, whose cast members each deliver incredible and convincing performances, might start off feeling like a bit of a rush if you’re expecting a steady intro. But thanks to the direction, cinematography, sub-plot themes of grief and mental health, as well as some really scary imagery, you’ll want to stay for the rest. The effects and depictions of violence also feel very real, which only increases how disturbing it is. At a perfect runtime of 90 minutes, it’s paced perfectly, refusing to waste any time. So try to go and see Talk to me. It’s definitely a horror film worth paying to go to the cinema for. Good low-budget movies like this high-class creation truly deserve our support.

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