McDaniel
Most horror movies are unoriginal, cookie cutter trash.
There, I said it.
If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Which is why it’s both thrilling and disturbing when you come across something new and original. Something where instead of being able to predict everything that’s going to happen, you’re left whimpering.
Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou have tasted success through their YouTube channel (RackaRacka), with more than 1 billion views. And if the duo has shown anything with their feature film directorial debut “Talk to Me,” it’s that they’ve brought something fresh to a horror genre riddled with lazy knockoffs.
The story moves slowly at the beginning, showing a group of young Aussies’ newest addiction — a ceramic hand that connects them with the spirit world. The rules are simple: 1) Light a candle to open the door to the spirit world. 2) Grab the hand and say “talk to me” to see the spirit that has come knocking. 3) Say “I let you in” to allow the possession.
The only rule is don’t go beyond 90 seconds before letting go of the hand and blowing out the candle, or the spirit might never leave. Worth the risk? Absolutely. What could go wrong?
What’s extra creepy is I could totally see kids jumping all over this sort of dare, letting a random spirit possess them for a short time while friends whip out their phones to record it all. It’s like the Ouija board got an upgrade — or I guess, manicure.
But for the possessed individual to come out of it ecstatic — high off of the experience — took me by surprise. Take our leading lady, Mia, grieving the two-year anniversary of her mother’s death by overdose. She is distant with her father, sad and lonely. After first volunteering for the temporary possession, she finds the release of being more of a passenger, while giving something else control, a welcome and intoxicating break from her pain.
As with a lot of addiction, seeking a feeling, or lack thereof, often goes too far. And my goodness, things escalate in a hurry for Mia and friends. We see the painful depths that Mia will go to, trying to come to terms with her loss through this newfound connection to the spirit world. Her grief has possessed her, and the evil that has come through the spooky hand is feeding on it.
It always seems like when you open a door for spirits, the evil ones come barging in. They’re pushy like that. And the ones in this story are sadistic.
Accomplishing a rare feat in horror films these days, “Talk to Me” is not reliant on jump scares, instead masterfully using unexpected turns and unsettling imagery to make you squirm (think “Hereditary.”) I didn’t ask for the workout, but my muscles were clenched for the majority of the film, I can only assume in an effort to protect my soul.
I can almost hear the Philippou boys sitting in a room brainstorming, topping each other in a “Wouldn’t it be creepy if …” chain of unsettling twists.
But “Talk to Me” is more thoughtful than that. Maybe you’ll see it a different way … if you let them in.
4.5/5
Scott McDaniel is an assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College. He lives in Bargersville with his wife and three kids.
