Talk to Me

Sophie Wilde in Talk to Me

Danny and Michael Philippou's Talk to Me is an assured feature debut from the Australian duo. The twins gained renown from their RackaRacka YouTube on which they debuted such manic films as "Harry Potter vs Star Wars" and "Ronald McDonald vs Cookie Monster". The films are comic action shorts, heavily influenced by pro wrestling, in which the duo and their friends set about destroying their suburban Adelaide home in cartoon garb.

Talk to Me represents an attempt by the twins to leave the comic mayhem of the RackaRacka films behind. Except for a comic moment in which a hypnotized teen French kisses a bulldog, the film is traditional teen oriented horror fare that is played straight. An embalmed hand is used to conjure the spirits of the dead. The teens become hooked on the summoning ritual and deadly consequences result. Addiction is the primary theme of the film, though it is an addiction to social media rather than narcotics that is portrayed as a threat to youth. 

The brothers' technical knowledge of the nuts and bolts of filmmaking is on display throughout. The spasms of gory action are well handled. The twins even use a graceful tracking shot following a teen entering a party to create a memorable opening scene. Some of the more expository scenes betray awkwardness and not all of the young cast are effective. However, this is one of the few recent horror films that provides a satisfying denouement. Talk to Me has some rookie errors, but, overall, it bodes well for the future of the Philippou brothers.