Talk to Me (2023)

I didn’t realize Talk to Me — a 2023 horror film directed by Michael and Danny Philippou was an Australian film going in, but that added an extra layer of unfamiliarity that actually worked in the movie’s favor. The Philippou brothers, along with writer Bill Hinzman, deliver a sharp, creepy, and emotional supernatural horror story that really surprised me.

The film stars Sophie Wilde as Mia, Alexandra Jensen as Jade, Joe Bird as Riley, Otis Dhanji as Daniel, and Miranda Otto as Jade’s mother, Sue. At the heart of the movie is this mysterious embalmed hand — a prop that becomes central to a dangerous party game. The rules are simple: grip the hand, say “Talk to me,” and you’ll see a spirit. If you then say “I let you in,” the spirit can possess you — but only for 90 seconds. Any longer, and things go very, very wrong.

Naturally, things do go wrong, because otherwise we wouldn’t have a movie. What starts as a fun, viral challenge among teens quickly spirals into something much darker. Wilde’s Mia becomes the emotional anchor of the story — a grieving young woman still haunted by her mother’s death, trying to find belonging among her friends while being drawn deeper into this supernatural danger.

What struck me most about Talk to Me was how it contrasts with something like Smile (which I watched right before this). While Smile builds its horror on unrelenting dread and psychological decay, Talk to Me starts out feeling almost playful before flipping hard into genuine tragedy and terror. Sophie Wilde delivers a fantastic performance, carrying the emotional weight of the story as everything unravels around her.

I also appreciated that the movie doesn’t bother over-explaining its mythology. There’s no big exposition dump about where the hand came from or how it works — it just is, much like how a Ouija board “just works” in those old seance games. That restraint keeps the focus on Mia’s experience and on how the supernatural amplifies her grief and guilt.

From a technical standpoint, Talk to Me is excellent. The cinematography by Aaron McLisky is sharp and dynamic, giving the film a distinct A24 polish without feeling too self-conscious. The camera moves with energy — tilting and flowing during the possession scenes — and the editing keeps things feeling alive and unpredictable. There’s great use of practical effects and makeup, with only light touches of CGI during some of the possession sequences.

All told, Talk to Me is one of the standout horror films of the last couple of years. It’s eerie, emotional, and beautifully shot. Watching it on a stormy night only made the experience better. I went in totally blind, only knowing about “the creepy hand,” and came out impressed by both the scares and the heart of the story.