It’s been a while since I’ve done a short movie review but the other night I finally got around to seeing the 2022 horror movie, “Talk to Me” on Amazon. It’s really good. There’s nothing kinky about it, no bondage except for a leather strap to secure people to a chair, though not done in a sexual or kinky way. It has engaging actors, humor, and a dark and disturbing story. The concept is pretty crazy, with a group of young people in Australia getting together to chase the thrill of getting temporarily possessed by spirits through the use of an embalmed hand. The lead actress, Sophie Wilde, is terrific as are all the actors. One cool thing is that one role is played by a trans masculine actor, Zoe Terakes, who’s fantastic, playing a cocky guy who’s a real jerk but still kind of likeable. What’s nice is that the character’s gender or trans-ness is never even mentioned in the movie. It’s never an issue and is just taken for granted.

I like horror movies, though I’m pretty easily freaked out. “The Exorcist” and “Carrie” were both pretty traumatic for me. I found this one pretty creepy with a very disturbing ending. (Don’t worry, I won’t spoil it.) It was directed by two brothers, Danny and Michael Philippou, who previously did YouTube videos, so it’s an impressive achievement making something so good for their first movie.

One of the best early scenes in the movie is an impressive montage sequence where the young people are hanging out and taking turns getting possessed for the thrill of it, in the same way that teenagers might get together in the family basement, partying and trading bong hits. It’s a clever scene how it’s all played for fun, as if nothing could possibly go wrong with getting temporarily possessed by spirits – how could that be a bad idea!?

It’s a short scene and it’s on YouTube. I don’t think it gives away too much of the movie, and it is impressive how natural and believable the actors are.

Part of what makes the scene so good is the amazing song they used, Le Monde, by Richard Carter. It’s a modern remix, updated and taken from the classic Edith Piaf song, La Foule (“The Crowd”), and it has an urgent other-worldly feel that fits perfectly with the scene. The original Edith Piaf song has such an instantly recognizable sound and strange lyrics (in French, of course). It’s about a woman who gets caught in a crowd at a big street party where she gets thrown together with a guy who may be the love of her life, the two of them then separated minutes later by the unruly crowd, never to see each other again. It would be like finding your soulmate at the Hollywood Halloween street party and then suddenly being separated by the throng of half a million people, knowing you’ll never find that special person ever again.

The movie gets much darker as it progresses, dealing with loss and grief and the consequences of some very unwise decisions. If you’re a religious person, the question of spirits and the afterlife probably make it even more disturbing. I really enjoyed it and hope to see it again with a friend or two. If you like horror, it’s a good one. Highly recommended.