Spoilers forgot the secret handshake.

I believe scary movies only become true horror films when they get serious. This is almost a given when teenagers are the focus of it all. The movies that close this gap are few, but there are memorable. I’m glad to report I can now add a new entry to that short list. This is definitely one you should consider and although it does feel like a crowd favorite, it definitely brings the dread and the fear to the party. It’s also good enough to scare the audience before it scares the cast.

(Credit: A24)

Talk To Me (2022) is directed by Danny and Michael Philippou with a script by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, based on an idea by Daley Pearson. Mia (Sophie Wilde) is grieving her deceased mother. She decides to hang around with her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) and her brother Riley (Joe Bird) as they sneak out of the house to meet Jade’s boyfriend (and Mia’s ex) Daniel (Otis Dhanji). They all agree to go to a party thrown by Haley (Zoe Terakes) and Joss (Chris Alosio) which features a dismembered, embalmed hand which can make you commune with spirits.

The lore of the movie is that you need to grab the hand and say “talk to me” to be able to see and talk to a spirit, with the added effect that if you tell them “I let you in” you can become possessed by them. This is where the audience already feels apprehensive, while the party kids take video. The one thing that at least the kids are keeping score is they must light a candle as the possession begins and put it out to end to it by blowing the candle out after no more than 90 minutes. When Mia decides to have a go, she feels a rush while the audience can already see this is going to go off the rails soon.

I love the storytelling skills displayed here as at no time the movie stops to tell you what’s going. We learn everything as these characters go about their life. Mia is obviously awkward around Jade and Daniel’s relationship, Haley and Joss are just party guys filming all these possessions while Jade believes everything is fake and Riley is the younger brother trying to fit in with an older crowd, but still vulnerable to being pushed away. When the horror disrupts their little world and someone gets hurt, everyone is in shock. Funny thing is, once the horror is out in the open, I do feel it dips slightly in intensity as it goes on.

It works and quite well. Even with the supernatural element, you can feel the cold along the spine as all the teenagers scurry around, knowing the games are up. Real grown ups have to come in. There’s a tense scene as Mia faces Jade’s and Riley’s mom Sue (Miranda Otto) who has some harsh words for her. And yet the kids cannot explain what happens (which I’m being intentionally vague about so you get to experience it first hand). The ending, which might divide some moviegoers, does fit the strange and tense atmosphere and subverts the usual ambiguous finale with… Okey, I don’t think I can describe it without giving it away somehow.

Strongly recommended for horror fans. I have to say, it’s still got an element of fun under the horror umbrella, but once our cast is spooked the scares do feel deluded when the real life elements come in. That being said, the entertainment value does last enough for the conclusion. Very much worth a watch, go in as blind as you can and you should not have any problem letting the fear in.

That will do for now.