Talk to Me (2022)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A group of teenagers uses a mysterious embalmed hand to contact spirits, leading to dangerous consequences.
The story
The film follows a group of teenagers who discover they can contact spirits using a mysterious severed and embalmed hand. By holding the hand and saying "Talk to me," they can summon a random deceased person's spirit, but they must end the possession within 90 seconds to prevent the spirit from binding itself to the holder. The story follows 17-year-old Mia, who is struggling with the anniversary of her mother's death and a distant relationship with her father. When Mia and her friends participate in the ritual, the line between the living and the dead begins to blur, creating a perilous situation for the group.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a prologue where a character named Duckett is killed by his brother Cole, 17-year-old Mia and her friends use an embalmed hand to summon spirits. During a session, Mia is possessed by a spirit that focuses on Riley, and the group fails to end the possession in time. Later, Riley is possessed by Mia's mother, Rhea, and is hospitalized in critical condition. Mia, haunted by visions of her mother, eventually uses the hand to contact Rhea's spirit. Rhea claims Mia's father is lying about her death and tells Mia that Riley must die to be set free. Mia kidnaps Riley from the hospital and takes him to a highway. In a final confrontation, Mia is struck by a car and finds herself in a liminal space where she is eventually transported to a party in Greece, where she possesses a new host.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- Australia
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Philippou
- Writers
- Danny Philippou · writer; Bill Hinzman · writer
- Cast and characters
- Sophie Wilde · Mia; Alexandra Jensen · Jade, Mia's friend; Joe Bird · Riley, Jade's younger brother; Otis Dhanji · Daniel, Jade's boyfriend; Miranda Otto · Sue, Jade's and Riley's mother; Zoe Terakes · Hayley, a party host; Chris Alosio · Joss, a party host; Marcus Johnson · Max, Mia's father; Alexandria Steffensen · Rhea, Mia's mother
- Genres
- supernatural horror; ghost; teen horror
- Themes
- grief; trauma
- Tone and mood
- distressing; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- spirit possession; supernatural; teenagers
- Source material / true-story basis
- concept by Daley Pearson
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was described as a 'new horror classic' and 'one of the most purely fun horror films to come out in quite some time.'
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 44; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Film · AACTA Awards · 13th · win; Best Direction · AACTA Awards · 13th · win; Best Original Screenplay · AACTA Awards · 13th · win; Best Actress · AACTA Awards · 13th · win
- Production trivia
- It was A24's highest-grossing horror film at the time of its release.; The film was banned from theatrical release in Kuwait.; A prequel short film exploring the character Duckett's backstory was produced.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…