Did you ever go on an epic cross-country road trip, only to discover that the car ride was a lot more fun than the final destination? If you want to experience that same slightly confounding sensation at the movies this summer, then new Aussie horror flick Talk to Me is probably for you!
There is so much right about this gritty little hell-ride. There’s the alluring premise — a bunch of thrill-seeking teens use a mysterious porcelain hand to start communicating with the dead. We only know as much as the kids do about the origins of the hand, but we do meet its last owner in one of the most memorable opening scenes in recent horror history. (I’d go so far as to put it up there with Drew Barrymore’s turn in 1996’s Scream.)
Talk to Me also benefits from a fantastic cast who acts the crap out of this entire thing, conveying a natural chemistry that grounds the movie in realism. (Refreshing, given how often supernatural movies fail in that task.) Particularly stellar is Sophie Wilde as Mia, an alienated teen still grieving the death of her mother. (Because yes, you can never have too many mommy issues in horror movies.) Wilde does most of the heavy lifting here, lurching from raw emotion to cartoonish possession in the blink of an eye. But there isn’t a bad actor in the bunch.
As things begin to spiral out of control for Mia and her friends, and as dark forces begin invading their everyday spaces, the tension mounts, the unease spreads and the horror ramps up. Word of warning: There are moments of physical violence so distressing here, you’ll struggle to keep your eyes on the screen.
