‘I Let You In…’
Barbarian was probably the most unique and innovative horror film of 2022. The switcheroo halfway through that movie was truly distinctive and a whole lot of fun. Despite 2023 already being another strong year for horror, Talk to Me is undoubtedly the most singular horror film experience of the year so far, possibly since Get Out even…
We begin with a cold open that sees a group of teenagers at a party filming a highly disturbed young man as he stabs his brother before violently smashing the knife into his forehead. This film is not messing about. The main crux of the story sees a group of teenagers led by level-headed Jade (Alexandra Jensen), her best friend Mia (Sophie Wilde) and Jade’s younger brother Riley (Joe Bird) as they take part in the latest viral craze – communicating with the dead through the severed hand of a mystic. Goddamn kids.
Talk to Me is one of the most fresh and forward-thinking horror films I have seen this year. Only Skinamarink comes close in 2023 and that is a very different movie from this one. The nihilistic, nasty tone and jet-black humour bring to mind the work of Ari Aster but this is very much its own thing. The directing team of Danny and Michael Philippou made their name as VFX artists on films such as The Babadook and also through their work creating short films on YouTube – perhaps most famously the incredible work they produced for a video that questions what a Street Fighter brawl would look like in real life. It’s awesome. They have now been signed up to direct an actual Street Fighter movie. The world is a wonderful place sometimes.
That VFX background serves the Philippou brothers well and while Talk to Me is often drained of colour (think The Witch or Hereditary), the movie itself is anything but lifeless. The horror set pieces here are vibrant and distinct. This is assured filmmaking, especially for a duo making their feature film debut.
Talk to Me has been a critical and commercial smash. It fully deserves this recognition on both counts. This is exciting, singular and propulsive filmmaking. It’s a horror film for the social media age. Perhaps the first. I can’t wait for the sequel.