The 2023 Australian horror film Talk to Me is all about the dead being present in a hand. This is sort of like the old urban myth. A dead man’s hand is said to protect thieves. In this instance it is a candle. As long as the thing stays lit, those up to no good are protected.
Similar to a Ouija board, the thing allows who ever “shakes/holds” the hand to speak with the dead. They also allow the dead to occupy their body.
Bad idea.
The Story
Mia is, for all intents and purposes, an orphan. Her mother killed herself and she is estranged from her father. She is part of her best mate’s (Jade) family. Her “adoptive” family is a tad dysfunctional as the mother tends to resort to aggression in a pinch.
The film follows Mia and her “new” friends as they experience the dead hand. Things go south very quickly.
the main cast
Sophie Wilde is Mia.
Alexandra Jensen is Jade.
Miranda Otto is Sue, Jade’s mum.
Joe Bird is Riley.
Zoe Terakes is Hayley. Easily the most dislikable character in the movie.
Behind the scenes
Brothers Danny and Michael Philippou give us an Australian horror movie that is not a zombie fest or a downunder apocalypse. The two also give us a few nudges and winks to other films.
The dying joey, or baby kangaroo, at the start of the film is a clear nod to Long Weekend, both the original and the remake. Peter and Marcia, the protagonists of that film run down a “roo” at the beginning of their journey. We can almost believe this is all part of the same “verse.”
At the very beginning of Talk to Me, after the party scene, Riley calls another lad Elvish. Another reference to a great downunder franchise, TLOTR. Miranda Ott, who plays the aggressive mum, was a regular in these New Zealand epics.
There are other allusions to horror film not from that part of the hemisphere. The hospital scares owe a little to The Descent and a number of spooky J Horror films.
Dark
Talk to Me is dark. Literally and metaphorically. The Philippou’s take this alternative to the old Ouija board and manage to make it scary as heck.
The casting of Wilde as Mia is just brilliant. The juxtaposition of her cheeky face and being possessed is creepy and disturbing. And that is the key Talk to Me is not so much horrible or terrifying as it is just plain disturbing.
Regardless of how we see the film, it works.
The Verdict
Talk to Me is a solid 4 stars. It clicks on most cylindres and there are no real misfires in terms of plot and storyline. It is streaming on Showtime via Paramount +. A24 have a solid horror film on their hands.
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