In Australia, a group of teenagers stumble upon a modern version of Ouija, but simpler. A ceramic hand that has a real skeletal hand of a medium connects users to the dead by simply holding it, telling the random spirit to “talk to me,” and then giving permission to enter the body to communicate with the others. Hold the hand too long, and that spirit will remain inside, causing some unwanted chaos with deadly consequences. But for these teenagers, it’s only special to record on their smartphones and upload to their social media accounts. It is all fun and games until this sick game of Russian Roulette ends with the live chamber firing.
The leading players are Mia (Sophie Wilde), a girl struggling after the death of her mother, her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen), her younger brother Riley (Joe Bird), and Jade’s boyfriend, Daniel (Otis Dhanji). Jade and Riley’s mom (Miranda Otto) is supportive of Mia staying over at their place following her mother’s death as she has a distant relationship with her father. Joining them gives her a boost of support and the game of phone tag with the dead gives a major adrenaline rush. That is until, one night, Mia convinces Riley to try the game. He makes contact with, of all spirits, Mia’s deceased mother.
Talk To Me does not have the shock factor or those classic scenes as The Exorcist, but it is still a creep-fest with all the ghouls they encounter. The opening scene, a fantastic long-take sequence, gives us just a drop of the side effects with the hand. The teens have seen it on social media because it was recorded, but they think it’s an elaborate prank. However, the fantastic makeup on these figures provides this sense of realistic horror which Mia cannot escape from. There’s no priest to help; she’s got to get out of it alone before the damage is permanent.
The Philippou brothers, Danny and Michael, transition from their successful YouTube channel, RackaRacka, to film directors in their debut. Clearly, they have a grip (no pun intended) on this story – co-written by Danny – and know how to make the most of their camera. It isn’t razzle-dazzle, but Talk To Me is an original concept that seeks to lure in all the viewers to play along and take the dare in facing the face of the dead.
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