Highlights
Talk to Me is a terrifying and well-crafted horror movie with intense terror sustained throughout and a genuinely engaging story.
The practical effects in the movie leave a bigger impression than the computer-generated imagery commonly found in modern horror films. The performances, particularly Sophie Wilde's, effectively make the story feel real. Talk to Me concludes by coming back to where it started in a macabre and poetic manner - Mia, the protagonist, transforms into the deceased individual with whom she once communicated, suggesting an eternal spiral of tragic downfall for those who employ the preserved hands.
Talk to Me has emerged as one of the year's biggest horror hits, largely due to its beautifully poetic and hauntingly ironic ending, which brings the narrative full circle. Protagonist Mia, portrayed by Sophie Wilde, portrays a 17-year-old who has become estranged from her father following her mother's tragic suicide. The story takes a chilling turn when Mia attends a party where participants communicate with the spirit realm using a magical embalmed hand. Unexpectedly, Mia discovers a means to connect with her deceased mother from beyond the grave. However, she exceeds the allotted 90-second timeframe and inadvertently leaves open a portal for malevolent demons to infiltrate the world of the living.
Beyond its spine-chilling premise, Talk to Me also stands out for its exceptional craftsmanship. Directors Danny and Michael Philippou effectively maintain a pervasive sense of terror from the introduction of the embalmed hand to the devastating conclusion of Mia's fate. The narrative keeps viewers engaged by revealing just enough information to maintain suspense and keep them guessing at each twist and turn. The use of practical effects adds a greater impact compared to the overreliance on CGI often seen in modern horror films. Additionally, the performances, particularly by Wilde, are impeccable and contribute to the genuine realism of the story.
What Happens At The End Of Talk To Me?
The impact of a horror movie lies solely in its conclusion. An exceptionally powerful horror movie ending will leave the audience feeling genuinely disturbed as they watch the closing credits and exit the theater. The most remarkable horror movie endings possess a devastating twist of irony, just like the ill-timed acts of mercy in The Mist or Ben's unfortunate demise being mistakenly shot as a zombie after surviving the night in Night of the Living Dead. Similarly, Talk to Me culminates in an ironic finale as Mia settles her supernatural debt with the embalmed hand.
After giving her best friend Jade's younger brother Riley access to the preserved hand for a duration exceeding 90 seconds, Mia inadvertently causes him to become trapped in a torturous state, tormented by tormented souls. Each time Riley regains consciousness, he is driven to attempt taking his own life in an effort to escape the relentless agony. Consumed by guilt, Mia desperately seeks a solution to rescue Riley from his suffering. Influenced by the spirits, she resolves to place him in a wheelchair, escort him out of the hospital, and propel him into the path of oncoming vehicles on a nearby road. As Jade races against time to save her brother, the scene transitions to the backseat of a car, wherein a human body violently collides with the windshield, effectively halting the flow of traffic. Initially, it appears that Mia has propelled Riley into the road and that Jade has arrived too late to prevent this tragedy. However, the truth unfolds as it turns out that Mia herself has actually sacrificed her own life by leaping in front of the car.
How Talk To Me's Ending Brings The Story Full Circle
Mia finds herself mysteriously transported back to the hospital, where she witnesses Riley's departure with his family, a smile illuminating his face. In her search for her father, she spots him heading towards an elevator, but her calls go unheard. Suddenly, darkness envelops her, and she realizes she has crossed over to the realm of the deceased, the very spirit world she had become addicted to. Placing her hand on the embalmed hand, she hears the haunting words, "Talk to me," and unexpectedly finds herself face-to-face with a terrified partygoer engaged in the cursed game in a foreign land.In the opening of Talk to Me, Mia's introduction to the embalmed hand shocked her as she confronted a mysterious deceased man across from her. By the end, Mia has transformed into the deceased individual seated opposite a terrified reveler who, in turn, utilizes the hand to connect with the spiritual realm. This eerie, poetic conclusion completes the circle of Mia's journey, transitioning from the living side of a mystical hand to the afterlife. The initial scene, where Mia encountered a tormented soul, foreshadowed the grim destiny awaiting her by the film's conclusion.
The culmination of this story hints at an endless loop. Individuals like Mia will continue utilizing these preserved hands to communicate with the deceased, inevitably becoming entangled in the dramas of the dead and ultimately joining them in the realm of spirits beyond the hand. This haunting conclusion intensifies Talk to Me's already commendable aspects - its purposeful direction, the stellar performances by the cast, the use of traditional effects, and the overwhelming sense of foreboding. It is this poetic and enigmatic ending that propels the film from being a well-crafted horror movie to a genuinely exceptional one.