TALK TO ME
IMDb Rating
179K+
IMDb Votes
94%
Rotten Tomatoes
$92.2M
Box Office
Synopsis & Review
Two years after losing her mother, teenager Mia (Sophie Wilde) is drawn into a party trend among her friend group: gripping an embalmed, ceramic-coated hand allows the holder to be briefly possessed by spirits from beyond, filmed and shared for social media clout, so long as no one holds on for more than ninety seconds. Mia, desperate for any connection to what she's lost, breaks the rule — and opens a door to something that follows her home, targets the people she loves, and exploits her grief with a cruelty the hand's other, more casual users never experienced.
Making their feature debut after years running the YouTube channel RackaRacka, Danny and Michael Philippou build a possession film that understands exactly how the ritual would actually spread among teenagers today — filmed on phones, dared into by peer pressure, treated as content before it's treated as danger. Sophie Wilde's performance as Mia carries the film's emotional stakes, grounding the increasingly grotesque possession sequences in real grief and guilt rather than pure shock value. The practical effects work — de-aging makeup, contortion, and genuinely upsetting body horror — earned comparisons to The Evil Dead, but it's the film's social commentary on trauma, social media performance, and teenage recklessness that elevates it above a standard possession thriller. It's a startlingly assured debut that instantly made the Philippou brothers two of horror's most exciting new voices.
Why Watch This Movie?
A24's Highest-Grossing Horror Film Ever
Made for just $4.5 million, Talk to Me grossed $92.2 million worldwide, surpassing Hereditary to become A24's biggest horror hit domestically — a staggering return on investment from first-time filmmakers.
Sophie Wilde's Breakout Performance
Wilde carries the film's grief and unraveling with a rawness that critics singled out as one of the year's best horror-genre performances, launching her into wider recognition beyond Australian TV.
From YouTube Stunt Videos to Sundance Horror Hit
Danny and Michael Philippou spent years making viral, blood-soaked comedy shorts on their YouTube channel RackaRacka before making the leap to a Sundance-premiering feature — one of the more unusual and successful director origin stories in recent horror.
Cast & Crew
Directors
Danny & Michael Philippou
Screenplay
Danny Philippou & Bill Hinzman
Distributor
A24
Mia
Sophie Wilde
Sue
Miranda Otto
Jade
Alexandra Jensen
Riley
Joe Bird
Feature Debut
Yes — directors' first film
Country
Australia
Official Trailer
© A24 / Causeway Films. Trailer embedded via YouTube.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the Philippou brothers?
Danny and Michael Philippou are Australian twin brothers who built a large following on their YouTube channel RackaRacka, known for gory, effects-heavy comedy shorts. Talk to Me marked their feature directorial debut after years of self-taught practical effects and stunt work on YouTube, a background that shows clearly in the film's tactile, hands-on horror sequences.
Is there a sequel to Talk to Me?
Yes — a direct sequel titled Talk 2 Me has been confirmed and entered production, reuniting the Philippou brothers with A24. The directors also went on to make a separate, unrelated horror film, Bring Her Back, released in 2025, before returning to the Talk to Me story.
What is the "ninety second rule" in the movie?
In the film's mythology, gripping the embalmed hand allows a spirit to briefly possess the holder, but the ritual's unspoken rule is to let go — or have someone else pull the person off — within ninety seconds. Holding on longer risks the spirit refusing to leave, which becomes the central danger driving the plot once Mia breaks the rule.
Is Talk to Me appropriate for younger viewers?
No — the film is rated R for intense violent content, grisly images, drug use, and language, with practical body horror effects that multiple reviewers described as genuinely disturbing. Despite its teenage characters, it's not intended for a teen audience and is best suited to viewers already comfortable with hard-edged horror.
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