Australian brothers Danny and Michael Phillipou’s 2023 feature debut, “Talk to Me” — now available to stream on Peacock — exploded onto the horror scene as exceptionally well-made low-budget scary movies often do. Out of nowhere, without any real star, from two young filmmakers no one ever heard of, but with a fantastic high-concept that both captured Gen Z’s attention and inspired virtually every horror veteran to tune in and find out what the fuss is about.
As we now know — since “Talk to Me” transformed into a modern classic pretty quickly — the fuss was about a severed, embalmed hand that a bunch of Aussie teenagers discovered had the ability to connect them with dead spirits whenever they asked it to “talk to me,” and even possess them for a short time when they said “I let you in.”
On the surface, the Phillipou brothers’ breakout feature might’ve seemed like just another typical possession-horror, but thanks to their singular directorial vision, the two came pretty close to reinventing the genre — or at the very least, breathed new life into it in a way we haven’t seen in a long time. Incredibly off-putting, dark as night, and dripping with visceral dread, “Talk to Me” earned a spot among the most thrilling and terrifying horrors of the last decade.
Capturing the teen-horror zeitgeist
One of the reasons “Talk to Me” went so big so fast is its ultra-realistic depiction of youth. From parties to social media to substance abuse to mental health and virtually everything else that defines the lives of today’s teenagers, the Phillipous’ film skillfully maneuvered to avoid being phony, inauthentic, or lame. They sold the movie’s central idea as if it were a new and exciting drug that a small group of kids gained access to and became obsessed with, practically interchangeable with any substance from any given time in modern history. But as much as the film’s focal point was the possession and evil spirits, they also infused the story with relatable emotional beats (such as grief, anxiety, loneliness, etc.) that ultimately allowed “Talk to Me” to hit hard and become more than just another sensational horror.
No wonder then that its qualities — from the immersive atmosphere to the crazy-good practical effects (like these 10 incredible examples) to the razor-sharp screenplay — were immediately recognized by both critics and audiences. In addition to rave reviews (with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score), “Talk to Me” also ignited the box office, amassing $92 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget, becoming A24’s highest-grossing horror ever and its sixth highest-grossing movie overall (via The Numbers).
Naturally, a sequel titled “Talk 2 Me” is currently in the works, as well as a found-footage prequel (which has already been shot, according to the directors) that will focus on Sunny Johnson’s character, Duckett, from the original movie. Although there are no official release dates for either of those yet, the Phillipous already followed up their debut feature with 2025’s “Bring Her Back,” which might just be the next best thing for fans to check out until we get our hands on a fresh “Talk to Me” entry.