gemini://ayushnix.com/reviews/media/2023-10-15-talk-to-me.gmi

I added this movie in my watchlist a while ago but recently read Seirdy (https://pleroma.envs.net/users/Seirdy) recommend this movie on his Fediverse account. It's been a while since I saw a good horror movie so I took the plunge and watched it on 16th October 2023, just after midnight. This is one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. Moreover, this movie has earned the right to be archived on my NAS (network attached storage). In retrospect, I'll also keep the movie "Palm Trees and Power Lines" on my NAS, another movie which I rated as 5 out of 5.

I would recommend not judging this movie by its premise. It sounds like cliché supernatural horror.

> When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

I usually avoid watching and dislike supernatural horror movies without any roots in reality. However, I love supernatural horror movies if they can use supernatural as a plot element for trying to portray something else. One of the best examples I can think of the horror TV series "The Haunting of Hill House".

The trauma that each of the Crain children suffers manifests itself in different but relatable ways. It doesn't really matter if the source of the trauma is supernatural.

The movie starts of with a younger brother attempting to kill his elder brother and then killing himself. The movie shifts its focus towards Mia, a teenager who recently lost her mother and hasn't recovered from that trauma. She joins a party with her friend where she volunteers to participate in a supernatural activity. She finds the aftermath on herself to be quite ... addictive.

> It felt amazing. I felt like I was glowing. I could hear and see and feel everything. But I was in the passenger seat. It felt incredible.

I guess you can relate this experience to something people have in real life as well. It could be drugs, alcohol, or anything addictive really. In their infinite wisdom as teenagers, they make a kid experience the same thing and this is where things go wrong, both for the kid, Riley, and Mia. I don't mean "wrong" in the sense that the premise might make you think. No, supernatural forces don't overwhelm everyone or kill everyone and aren't finally defeated by holy water or the Bible or Hanuman Chalisa (the movie 1920 (2008)).

Talk To Me