Talk to Me

Available on Netflix

A24’s penchant for original and deeply subversive horror is well established, and Talk to Me (a co-production of Bankside Films, Causeway Films, and Talk to Me Holdings) only serves to underline those credentials further.

The directorial debut of Danny and Michael Philippou (previously best known for their YouTube channel RackaRacka) is a highly original feature that follows a group of Australian teenagers as they discover the ability to contact the spirit world via a mysterious embalmed hand. Although its narrative never veers too far beyond that initial premise, the film effectively builds tension through its use of unsettling practical effects and sound design, as well as a stellar lead performance from Sophie Wilde.

Indeed, Wilde’s character is far from being par for the course, in the sense that her actions are fuelled by the deep-seated trauma she feels as a result of her mother’s recent suicide. This means that, even as Talk to Me veers into more typical genre terrain, it retains a crucial element of believability that makes its events all the more chilling. Also helping proceedings in that sense is the Philippou’s refrained use of gore, which ensures that their picture, unlike other recent fare such as Evil Dead Rise, is never overwhelmed by gratuitous bloodshed.

Like all of the best horrors, Talk to Me uses an original premise to muse on complex themes (in this case grief and trauma) that are intrinsically human and therefore uncomfortably relatable. The fact that it does this in a manner that is distinctively modern (its characters are seldom without their smartphones) only serves to make it all the more impactful, marking its directors as ones worth keeping an eye on.