Synopsis of Talk to Me
Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, otherwise known as RackRacka on YouTube, have knocked it out of the park with an astonishing debut feature to match the best of the modern horror genre – a gripping (you will see what I mean) supernatural tale for the social media/ YouTube generation. On first glance, one might assume this is just another supernatural teenager flick you’ve seen a thousand times before but, rest assured, this is far from that. The story revolves around a group of teenagers who come across a mysterious artifact, in the shape of a ceramic severed hand, with the ability to communicate with the dead simply by touching it and uttering the words ‘talk to me’. Once said, an unknown entity invades your body and takes control for up to ninety seconds (a time limit imposed by the participants filming on their phones). However, inevitably, things quickly spiral out of control.
Analysis of Talk to Me
Cutting to the chase, I was absolutely floored and stunned by this film. My hands were covering my mouth more times than I could count and my jaw having to be virtually lifted up from the floor. Despite the notion of the summonsing of the supernatural being one of the most repeated and well-known tropes ever within the horror genre, as is the cursed hand being an idea going back as far as 1902 (for example ‘A Monkey’s Paw’, a 1902 novel which has been adapted for films several times), Danny and Michael Philippou have somehow managed to top any I have seen before with a mercilessly gory (almost leaving you pondering if this should have received an 18 certificate instead of 15) and inventive chiller. ‘Talk to Me’s opening sequence kicks everything off with an explosive moment of violence and bewildering scares, the directors clearly wanting you to be gripped right from the beginning so you know the kind of film your dealing with, almost as if they are saying ‘you want horror? Here’s horror’. It was effective and disturbing.
Admittedly, I went in loaded with popcorn but after that opening, that bag was very quickly placed on the floor and never touched again, the film had more than earned my attention completely, laser focus from here on out. As has been previously mentioned, the Philippou brothers found success and fame with their Youtube channel RackaRacka in which they created their own short films and skits. What made them unique though was their skill and ability to make everything convincingly physical (such as choreographed fights) with the addition of practical effects such as makeup. This is one reason as to why the physicality and violence in the film is so convincing. Appropriately so, there were many, many gasps and shrieks as a result of the blood and in fact, I have never seen a horror film utilize physicality as well as this does other than maybe ‘Hereditary’ with the addition of flinch inducing sound effects. You feel every minute injury characters have and I was recoiling in my seat at the really graphic parts.
A series of videos in which they collaborate with the famous Youtube group ‘The Sidemen’ is partly what garnered them millions of views, and ‘The Sidmen’ even make a fleeting cameo in the film (something I was very surprised to see). The Philippou brothers were part of the background production crew on Jennifer Kent’s ‘The Babadook’, an Australian horror film which was about a cursed book. The same team behind that film returns here with production company Causeway Films and producers Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings. All in all, the duo know their way around very practical filmmaking and perhaps a little on horror too, thus making them more than qualified to undertake something like this. Another element that was so impressive was the film did not rely on cheap and predictable jump scares every five minutes in order to creep out or terrify the audience. Truth be told, there were only maybe two jump scares in it’s entirety, whilst they are fun for the audience, not every films needs them.
What I thought was a nice little touch was the fact that this is clearly a supernatural tale for a new generation, as you see the teenagers whipping out their phones and recording people possessed by the hand to post on social media which I liked. Early on, we are shown a post someone put on social media showcasing a demonic teenager with black eyes and the perplexed central protagonists watching it, being seemingly convinced that its fake. More importantly than all of this though is the fact that the story works, I was emotionally engaged with the characters and the troubles and dilemmas they faced. Everything about it, the execution, the cinematography, the performances, the music (even the sound) and the horror I thought was masterfully handled. All of the best flicks of this genre get a reaction out of you, whether its pure enjoyment, pure horror or pure terror: you can certainly add this to the list. As someone who hates horror films, I do love watching one that is genuinely well made and takes me by such surprise. Far, far, far better than I thought it was going to be. My favorite film of the year so far.
10/10. In cinemas now
