Horror fans who like real scares instead of carnage should make a note of “Talk To Me“. The first trailer shows that goose bumps are guaranteed.
A24 is the studio of the moment: The New Yorkers, who since 2012 have stood for outstanding, offbeat, creative and eerily satisfying film enjoyment, really came up trumps at the 95th Academy Awards, picking up seven Oscars with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” alone, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The independent studio has proven just as good a hand on the free market time and again by acquiring film rights, such as recently with the Australian horror film “Talk To Me” by the directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou. The two brothers, who have been making short films together since childhood, have made a name for themselves over the years with crazy-funny and sometimes crudely bloody short films and clips on their YouTube channel RackaRacka, in which they often take pop culture phenomena for a ride and entertain with incredible stunts.
That they would eventually make the leap to the big screen was basically only a matter of time. That they would make their film debut with a horror film, however, came as a bit of a surprise. But many young filmmakers make the ultimate leap to Hollywood via horror. Just think of James Wan with “Saw”, “Spider-Man” director Jon Watts with “Clown” or the current DC boss James Gunn with “Slither”.
“Talk To Me” celebrated its world premiere in October 2022 at the Adelaide Film Festival, and Philippous even published a short documentary on YouTube about the screening at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023. In Germany, you could see the horror film at this year’s Berlinale in February. For all those who were not among the lucky festival audience, there is now the very first trailer to marvel at:
Did it send shivers down your spine? Is your hair still standing on end? Then you’re certainly not alone. The basic idea may not be completely new, but what counts in a good horror movie is the atmosphere and the clever handling of expectations. And apparently the Philippous have done everything right, because on the rating site Rotten Tomatoes their film holds a phenomenally good rating of currently 97 percent with 58 reviews, is considered an absolute insider tip, some even call it the best horror film of the year.
Talk To Me: When the spirits they call don’t want to leave
A new party game is causing a furor among young people on social networks: With the help of an embalmed hand and the chant “Talk to me,” it is supposed to be possible to open a direct connection to the dead in the afterlife. However, this connection must not last longer than 90 seconds, according to the rules. When Mia’s (Sophie Wilde) circle of friends wants to try out exactly this kind of séance, she agrees to join in. But no one really realizes what unimaginable horror they are letting into their lives. A horror that threatens to engulf them.
Talk To Me: Release Date
Shortly after A24 acquired the film at Sundance, the indie giant scheduled the film for a wide theatrical release on July 28, 2023. Those who don’t want to wait can watch the horror film at the Fantasy Filmfest Nights (April 20 to 23, 2023 in six cities and April 27 to 30, 2023 in Frankfurt). Tickets for the screenings are already available for purchase.
