The hand that bleeds

By Alayna Patterson

Grief is no stranger to horror.

It’s weaved wonderfully into the tapestry of Talk to Me, the 2022 Australian horror film directed by Danny and Michael Phillipou.

The centrepiece of the film, included in majority of Talk To Me’s marketing, is a disembodied hand. It’s so integral to the movie that the hand was even used by Umbrella Entertainment as part of a limited collectors edition 4K/Blu-ray release (which I totally don’t own).

Used as a party trick among teenagers, those who grasp the hand can see dead people. The rules are simple:

1: Light the candle, and the portal opens.

2: The words “I let you in” must be uttered. The soul (only you can see) in front of you now has a new human puppet.

3: You have 90 seconds before the soul wants to take residence within

4: The flame of the candle must be out before the time’s up.

Once a soul’s let in, the host takes on a whole new personality and acts in bizarre, unnatural ways. Bodies contort, voices distort, doors open and close.

We follow Mia, a teenager struggling with the loss of her mother two years after her death. We meet her found family, root for them, feel for her, and are suspicious of her father alongside her.

Mia and her best friend Jade attend a party where Mia participates in the hand’s ritual. She is mesmerised by the experience, attention and sense of belonging it brings. She looks forward to the next time she can participate.

Days of wonder, angst, contempt and terror only follow.

In our everyday lives, we shake the hand of those we meet – strangers, colleagues or acquaintances. We don’t know the horrors that lurk behind their eyes. Would we allow any stranger a look inside our minds?

Talk to Me uses tropes of horror we are familiar with and laces it with grace, humour and cleverness. The symbolism, too, makes for a gripping watch.

Shock is not used for shock’s sake but rather as an avenue into a disturbed world that lay beneath the laughs and unknowns that often an initial use of a new, exciting thing gives us. Especially when we’re young or vulnerable.

Though the hand acts as the centrepiece, we watch Mia ride the waves of her grief. We watch her wrangle with it, cower from it within the hand’s clutches then drown in the rights and wrongs of her decisions. We see the ways grief spills itself into those closest to her.

The acting of all the cast sells this – whether they’re themselves, or possessed and used as a flesh puppet, the themes are dealt with care. Each character feels authentic and nuanced. They could be the friends we had when we were younger.

It feels particularly close to home, since the movie is set in Australia and stars Australian actors. Some of the humour and language used feels so inherently Australian. Perhaps that makes me biased.

Regardless, the tone stays consistent even when characters make humour of situations. Some shenanigans characters commit when possessed are hilarious, yet still gross and horrifying.

Don’t let that fool you though. The plot only escalates, dread deepening, and the ending left me hollow and wanting more.

It may not rank high on a horror aficionado’s list but Talk To Me shouldn’t be overlooked. I recommend going with friends. Going with my own group, we talked about this movie for hours afterwards.

Viewers can look forward to a second movie, titled Talk 2 Me, greenlit by A24.

Featured image: Talk to Me could be an Australian horror classic. Artwork: Alayna Patterson