Talk To Me
I could have sworn this just came out yesterday, but back in 2023, we saw the release of a horror film that became an instant possession-based classic, and one that has just hit Netflix.
That would be Talk to Me, a horror movie that has arrived at #4 on Netflix’s Top 10 movie list, and it’s a must-watch for any fan of the genre. It was one of the top-scored horror films of 2023 with a 94% rating from almost 300 critics, which is extremely impressive. Here’s the synopsis of the film:
“When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.”
That may sound somewhat basic, but a better description of the film is that it turns communing with spirits and being possessed as a sort of high school party game, at one point producing one of the best, more harrowing sequences I’ve seen in the genre.
The film is led by Sophie Wilde, who performs excellently as Mia. Her career only reaches back to 2021, but since then, she’s been in 30 episodes of five different shows. Most recently, she had a part in the acclaimed Babygirl with Nicole Kidman this past year.
Talk to Me
Talk To Me was the fourth highest-scored horror movie of 2023, but definitely the highest-scored, English, mainstream film. The ones above it were the much more niche and foreign When Evil Lurks, Huesera: The Bone Woman and Attachment. Those are great too, but Talk to Me is unique among the entire genre. One point below it is M3GAN, which would be another higher-profile horror film that year at a stellar 93% (and it did great at the box office, and is getting a sequel).
Speaking of sequels, yes, Talk To Me, has in fact gotten a sequel greenlit by A24, which is titled, Talk 2 Me. I get it, but that’s probably going to be a bit confusing. The original directors will return. Supposedly that movie is out in May of 2025, just a month from now, but I don’t think that’s happening as I’ve heard nothing about it at all. Hopefully it’s still actually being made. Star Sophie Wilde doesn’t really know what’s going on, nor is she clear on whether she will return. Here’s what she said about it in February 2024 to GamesRadar:
“I don’t know. I feel like it’s still a bit hush hush because I mean, the boys [filmmakers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou], they’re such workaholics. I know they’re focusing on a bunch of other projects that they’re doing at the moment. So I don’t know, it’s all up in the air. But I said to them, I was like, “I’m gonna get actual FOMO if I’m not in this film, so can I just come on set and be like a boom operator? I will be an assistant director, I just want to be involved.”
Regardless of if a sequel is made, the original should be on your list to watch on Netflix this weekend if you like horror at all, and I think it could exist as a fully standalone project if need be. Let me know what you think on Twitter.
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