Danny and Michael Philippou’s “Talk to Me” really is one of the crowning horror achievements of 2023. It’s one of those horror movies that doesn’t just scare you, but it also leaves a stain on you. That’s because while “Talk to Me” is very much a demonic possession movie, it’s deeply rooted in the concept of the urban folklore that taps in to not only our obsession with death, but our need to know if there’s anything after we’ve died. That’s essentially what fuels pretty much everyone in “Talk to Me”; the twisted porcelain hand reaching out for a grip becomes the sort of Monkey’s Paw or Ouija Board that everyone begins to center their lives on.
It grants them an amazing ability, but one that is easily misused and one that can be exploited. It’s almost a phone extension to the other side where anyone can mine souls for some sort of contact. The problem is we’re never quite sure what kind of souls they’re conjuring up. What becomes such a fascinating drive for these characters is that the use of the film’s mysterious porcelain hand is a plot device that is powerful, but also ambiguous until the very end. Whose hand is it? How old is it? Where does the power come from? Is it meant for good or pure evil? Can it filter out demons?
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits with an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill and high-stakes party game — until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
The narrative is not really so much about the hand, but character Mia’s inability to move on after the death of her mother. The hand offers her something that the natural world cannot, and thus it leads her into a path of self-destruction that is very akin to any addiction. “Talk to Me” approaches this idea as realistic as possible, positing the whole concept of delving into the after life and being able to ask the dead questions as something thrilling at first. The amusement takes a steep decline the more dependent the circle of characters become on it, allowing a sense of vulnerability within their ranks.
Once the chaos begins, the directors do not hold back, allowing for so much violence and grue that explodes on the screen. Mia’s quest to save her brother from the hold of a mysterious spirit becomes a race against time and forces her to come to grips with the fact that she may actually be doing more harm than good for the narrative. That’s something that not many horror films are ballsy enough to build on. “Talk to Me” is that classic morality tale about how ignorance being bliss, and sometimes delving in to corners of reality we’re not prepared to handle can have immense repercussions.
Through it though, the film avoids any gimmicky trappings to unfold a very humanistic and engaging, often brilliant narrative. Even without the supernatural backdrop.