Director: Danny & Michael Philippou
Starring: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Miranda Otto
Awesome Movie Index (AMI): 8.6 / 10
There are different variants of horror films, and in many ways, they serve as a litmus test for what we are willing to endure and perversely enjoy, sitting in the dark with strangers.
There is the gory type, that relies on generous gallons of red-tainted corn syrup to spray-splash every scene, while a crazed individual chases his victims with a sharp object.
There is the supernatural type, with its usual suspects of demons, ghosts and ghouls who haunt, project and possess, with eyes rolling back in their sockets, speaking in low, gurgly voice.
There is the emerging field of geriatric horror, where decrepit old men and women — usually naked and giggling — creep out of the shadows to fondle you with their wrinkly hands.
And then there is the pure tension/thriller type, that has you watching the film with your bowels in a bowline knot and your hand in front of your eyes the whole time, weary of what will happen next as the main character walks into a dark, empty space asking nervously: “Timmy? Timmy, is that you?”
Well, if you’re a horror fan, you’ll be glad to know that the Australian film Talk to Me conveniently triangulates and juxtaposes all these categories in a perfectly terrifying and effective mosaic of horror that will have you yelping, gasping and staring at the walls in disdain.
The story plays out like a Ouija Board 3.0: a group of young friends gets their kicks by staging “séance parties”, where each one has an opportunity to conjure up a spirit and then become momentarily possessed by it, while the others watch, laugh, and record the whole thing on their cell phones (it goes without say).
Until, of course, one fateful night when something goes awry — which in Australian horror, is quite the understatement. Truth is, some of the scenes are so deeply disturbing that your 20-year-old son will readily dart out of the room for momentary relief.
Whether it’s the original plot, the solid acting — relative newcomer Sophie Wilde is, quite frankly, stupefying — or the relentless barrage of unexpected creepiness and unpleasantness that is thrown your way, Talk to Me’s true force is that it never settles for easy gimmicks or tropes. Instead, it builds on a familiar genre and almost reinvents it, successfully transposing the spiritual world into today’s teenage digital reality, with all its gripping trappings and misgivings.
As its name suggests, this film will give you plenty to talk about afterwards.
Which makes sense, because you’ll be way too busy screaming and squirming while you’re watching it.