by Joel Harley
Ouija boards and American teenagers are old hat – A24’s latest trendy new acquisition concerns disembodied porcelain hands and young Aussies. The results, however, are much the same.
In a viral craze which involves shaking hands with the dead – thanks to the mummified paw of a dead psychic – a group of friends, hangers-on and frenemies commune with the deceased for shits and giggles.
Weird, trauma-ridden Mia (Sophie Wilde) is almost instantly smitten with the ritual. When she becomes convinced that her dead mum is waiting for her on the other side, it takes only the slightest push to become obsessed. This spells trouble for her best friend (Alexandra Jensen), ex-boyfriend (Otis Dhanji) and doofy tween Riley (Joe Bird). When one night’s ritual-making goes too far, Mia and her friends are set to learn what happens when you get too friendly with the dead.
This supernatural horror film by Danny and Michael Philippou slickly re-animates old formulas. Although the dialogue and aggressive teenage behaviour initially grate (and who exactly is going around with a Crazy Frog ringtone in the year of our Babadook 2023?), it quickly settles into its rhythm. After all, some things are ageless, and mortal dread gets to us all, no matter how old we may be. And if you are missing the sensible adult presence, then there’s Miranda Otto too, impressing as the no-nonsense single mum. If only we could say the same for Mia’s dad (Marcus Johnson); sidelined until it’s too late to care.
Like last year’s Smile, it’s less scary than it is deeply unsettling, featuring upsetting depictions of self-harm, bodily mutilation and, uh, late-night toe-sucking. Reminiscent of The Evil Dead’s Deadites, its shit-talking dead give the appropriate chills and are well-supported by some gnarly gore and brutal effects.
Not so much jump scares, more gets-under-your-skin-and-stays-there scary.
TALK TO ME is released in UK cinemas on July 28th
