Over 25 years ago, the Japanese film, RINGU (1998), led a wave of horror films that took some sort of object and turned it into a talisman. Supernatural evil then begins to haunt or curse teenagers or college co-eds leaving many dead, and the remainder including the survivor girl being unable to ever escape the paranormal blight that follows them forever. The Australian film, TALK TO ME (2023), took the common trope and made it feel fresher than it deserved to be.

Mia (Sophie Wilde) and her friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) head to a house party where their high school friends have come upon an embalmed hand that can turn spirits corporeal for the person who holds the hand. When Jade's little brother Riley (Joe Bird) wants a try, things turn deadly as a curse leaves Riley injured and forces Mia into a conundrum that could ultimately lead to her death.

Two new filmmakers, brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, directed this surprise A24 hit. Receiving fairly impressive reviews from reviewers while being enjoyed by audiences, the movie made $92M USD at the box office against a budget of $4.5M USD. With its success, the film landed up on many top ten lists of 2023. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thoughts.