He horror The genre has always found innovative ways to play with generational cultural shifts, finding a way to keep abreast of modern wrestling. Halina Reyn Bodies Bodies Bodies aptly tapped into the social commentary on Gen Z, bringing a dark sense of humor to its party game-based horror antics. Now Danny and Michael Philippou invented the next wild horror sensation with tell me.
‘Talk to me’ shows that a spiritualism ritual goes viral
The latest party craze on social media involves conjuring spirits for fun, as teens pressure each other to indulge in the paranormal ritual. Teenager Mia (Sophie Wilde) is trying to take her mind off the grief of the anniversary of her mother’s (Alexandria Steffensen) death, so she welcomes the idea of trying.
Mia gathers with a group of her friends to participate in a séance that requires the player to touch a sinister-looking embalmed hand. She offers them a direct link to the spirits, but it is unknown who or what will respond. The longer the party continues to play, the more the lines between the worlds blur. Mia must find a way to undo what she unleashed before it’s too late.
adolescent trauma and mercy
tell me is a natural response to stupidly dangerous TikTok challenges that resulted in deaths. It gives enough room for suspension of disbelief that these characters actually want to interact with spirits after the horrible videos they’ve seen. Mia and her friends are playing with fire, and it’s only a matter of time before she gets out of hand. The opening sequence acts as a harbinger of where this story could go for them.
The viral séance challenge has rules in place to supposedly keep players safe. The chosen person holds up the ceramic hand and says the words “Speak to me”, but only they will see the spirit appear before them. After giving the ghost permission, it can inhabit your body, but your friends must break the link between the person and the ceramic hand before the 90-second timer runs out, or the spirit will never leave.
There are other real-world aspects of these characters that only amplify their terror. Mia and her father have had a complicated relationship since her mother’s death. The memory of two years marks a painfully difficult time for the family, who hope to find solace with their friends. However, Mia has romantic feelings for her friend Jade’s (Alexandra Jensen) religious boyfriend, Daniel (Otis Dhanji). She assures her classmates that they’re just friends, though she knows there’s still something there. Despite their interpersonal drama, they will all have to work together if they hope to fix the problems they created.
‘Talk To Me’ Is A Scary Bloody Good Moment
tell me centers a new generation of protagonists and their culture, but does not forget the influences of the horror genre of the past. instantly brings sam raimi the bad death to the mind, but also introduces by James Wan Insidious in the mix. The Philippous aren’t reinventing the genre here, still respecting many recognizable tropes. However, they figure out new ways to freshen it up with hilarious gags and absurdly gory moments.
The first two thirds of tell me they are completely tense, especially through some particularly disturbing séance sequences. However, the movie fades a bit in the third act, losing the edge that previously made it terrifying. The subplot involving Mia’s family flops, unable to keep the build-up landing, despite Wilde turning in a quality lead performance.
Still, there’s a lot to love about this violent foray into the spirit world. tell me He’s a creepy creep with his own clever, evil twist. The Philippous also have something to say about social media culture, peer pressure, trauma, and mercy, which is the social commentary the genre was created for.
