A24’s ‘Talk to Me’ Might Be an Instant Aussie Horror Classic

A24 is behind some of our favorite horror movies in recent years. While some of the distributor’s films are hyped to the point of roll your eyes territory, it’s still exciting to see certain movies take off and shake the horror world up a bit. A24’s upcoming Australian horror flick Talk to Me sounds very promising for sure.

There are lots of great Australian horror movies (The Loved Ones, The Babadook, Picnic at Hanging Rock), but A24 gives some lesser-known titles and creators a nice little bump, you know? But you’re not here to listen to be rant about that; you’re here to find out more about Talk to Me.

What is Talk to Me about?

A24 describes the plot of Talk to Me as follows:

“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.”

Yes, we’ve seen plenty of horror movies where kids fuck around with cursed items and such. It’s not a new concept by any means. But what’s interesting about Talk to Me is that they are using an embalmed hand—not a Ouija board or something with a real history that’ll likely be explained incorrectly. Not to mention, the lead is a Black woman, and even in our present time, that’s still not very typical.

Is there a trailer for Talk to Me?

The trailer for Talk to Me does a pretty good job of setting up the story and how social media fits into it, which is especially interesting because the movie was directed by Michael and Danny Philippou—twin brothers and YouTube personalities known for creating horror-comedy videos.

When will Talk to Me be released?

Talk to Me hits theaters on July 23.

Who is in Talk to Me?

Leading lady Sophia Wilde is a rising Australian star who hasn’t appeared in many projects, but she has impressed enough folks to be recognized by the Casting Guild of Australia. There’s no doubt in my mind she’ll be the stand-out performance. She’s joined by:

• Alexandra Jensen as Jade
• Joe Bird as Riley
• Otis Dhanji as Daniel
• Miranda Otto as Sue
• Zoe Terakes as Hayley
• Chris Alosio as Joss

What else do you need to know about Talk to Me?

• Talk to Me has played several film festivals recently, including the 2023 Sundance and SXSW film festivals.
• The film is produced by Causeway, the production company behind The Babadook.
• Speaking of which: Before making Talk to Me, Danny and Michael Philippou worked as crew members on The Babadook.

(featured image: A24)