Deep Cuts Horror Hit List #6 “Talk To Me”

Hey, the folks. It is Sunday, October twenty sixth and number six on our horror hit list. Well it's from a couple of directors who actually already have a movie on our horror hit list. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. We continue our deep cuts. We count down our favorite horror movies that maybe you haven't heard of as we get close to Halloween now just days away. Robes, this one is impressive. This is

That's right.

I was so scared, and I think when you watch as many horror movies as we do, to say I was so scared, there's a high threshold and this one meets it, and I would say exceeds it because I had to look away a couple of times because I was too scared.

To keep watching.

Yeah, and we'll get into that. Yeah, there are some moments in this one, but it creeps you out, so it's kind of a ghost story, but it does have some pretty horrific stuff in there as well. But the movie we are talking about is talk to Me is number six on our horror hit list. Talk to Me, and this is the one I said Robes like. At the time we saw this movie, we were saying publicly, this young lady needs to get an oscar. We will talk to you about her performance, but talk to me.

That's right.

It's a horror mystery thriller. It's an hour thirty five minutes right there in this week spot. And here's the synopsis if you haven't heard. When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they'd come hooked on the new thrill until one of them goes too far and unleash's terrifying supernatural forces. It's great because it starts out at a teen party, right.

Oh yeah, and you don't know what's going on.

You have no idea what's happening. But here's the deal.

A lot of movies that surround teen parties and have teen partiers get a little silly and campy. There is nothing about this movie that is silly or campy. This is thrilling and uncomfortable and intense.

Almost all the way.

Through very uncomfortable. There are several scenes I'm thinking about now I don't want to watch again. I know where they are if I'm watching that movie, I look away at certain parts of this movie.

Yes, and so this did extremely well at the box office for a budget of just four point five million dollars. What. Yeah, Oh, I didn't realize that. Yes, all set in Australia. In the directors this is Danny and Michael Philippo, so we know that they have now become like horror geniuses and this was kind of well, this was their entrance, their entree into this genre, and man did they come in with a bang. So yeah, four and a half million

That's a hit. See, I didn't realize the budget was that low. I'm thinking back to the movie. I'm like, Hi, the hell did they do that? Did they go? Was it the location? Was it incentives? Was it something? But that is a this is a good looking movie.

Yes it is.

And Sophie Wilde, who we were talking about, who is just this exceptional actress. She's also Australian so I think they used some local folks, but it the acting is and I think this is something that we said about their other movie. Obviously, bring her back the acting. They know.

They don't leave anything behind.

Every detail is taken care of and actually done to the highest quality, including the acting.

So yes, Sophie Wild.

Made this movie okay, and it required it required. I mean I can't imagine the toll this movie took on her personally and emotionally. She had to do so much range wise in terms of emotion in this movie. She had to play a friend, a brother.

A grieving daughter.

She this girl and I didn't know from anything before this. I say this girl, this woman, but she plays a girl in this movie. She is just dynamic and had her ease and ability to cry and convey emotion and pain and awe, so good. I can't say it is so good. I love this young.

Lady, Miranda Otto. I didn't know her name, but you know her face. She played the mom of the friend, a little boy and otis don Gie. So there are again a lot of names you won't know, but the acting is phenomenal.

The Rotten Tomato score.

Well, yes, it's full validation for us. He didn't know what it was ninety four percent and the audience score eighty three percent. About right too, Yep, because it is a little difficult to watch. I actually think that might be Now. There were a couple folks it was interesting to me. Their complaints were that the second half of the movie wasn't as good as the first half, and that can be true, and I'd say that's probably true.

Yeah, there was a lot of build up and intrigue and mystery and even tension in that first half that second half buckle up.

Yeah, but they were acting like it fell off the rails at the second half.

Yeah, you just didn't like the way the train was going. Yeah, you got on the wrong train.

That's a really good way to put it. Not the movie for you, Okay, here's the critic consensus. With a gripping story and impressive practical effects, talk to me spins a terrifically creepy twenty first century horror yarn built on classic foundation.

Boom. That's right, it's a ghost, it's a creepy story, and they found a new way to tell it. Absolutely. These guys, the masters of modern horror is what they're described as. These brothers and hell yeah, this is a good one.

At this point, anything they put out you will go see without even looking at a review.

If they tell me they are doing a Smurf's remake, I'll show it.

That's how good it is. All right.

Here are some of the critic reviews, and honestly, they were all pretty glowing. The critic reviews were I don't think I saw one negative one. What hits hardest is the intense scenes of violence. I was squirming in my seat in a lot of scenes, and the movie holds onto those moments for.

A little longer than most.

It's like a more sadistic Evil Dead movie.

The shower scene, the boy in the hospital, I wanted that to end. Stop this. There's a teen that was he played fourteen years old or something. When you see this kid, what they put this kid through in this movie.

I'm leaning back right now and holding my face because I'm remembering and recalling.

All right, here's another critic.

Review Sophie Wilde's outstanding performance and the film's genuinely impressive VFX are worth the price of entry alone.

Visual effects.

Right, Yes, yeah, you're right. So I'm still thinking about the four million whatever in the budget, because nothing in it looks like it was done half ass.

No, nothing they've done has looked like that. So here, Okay.

The first half is as compelling as it gets, effectively conjuring horrifying images from the underworld and scarier yet the troubled souls of the bereave.

Yes. Oh that's good. You these scary people. You sympathize with it. I don't know if that was the point, but it made for a very dynamic. You didn't want to you want to look away up the horror, but you're curious about what this person's going through with these ghosts. If you will. Oh my god, now I'm appreciating it more. Listening to the reviews, You're gonna love this next one.

Imagine an early M Night Shyamalan movie such as The Sixth Sense, stripped of all the director's fuzzy optimism and belief in serendipity, and you're starting to grab the mood of talk to me.

You know, maybe this is what these brothers do. You're right, there is some hope or some family dynamic, and we're gonna make it to the end together. Kind of a thing. We have to come together with m Night Chamalan. These directors did not go to the M. Knight Chamalan school of horror movie making exactly.

You know what, it's funny.

Yeah, it's like I do believe that they've taken some of the best of what's come before them and put this amazing, sadistic twist on it.

That works.

What ghost story? Teen drama, teens behaving badly, doing something they shouldn't do, and get in trouble. It adds all of those things. It's a ghost story like you've never seen.

Wow, all right, audience reviews. Every moment of building tension would leave me questioning what was about to happen and whether it was what I feared what happened or not. It would still shock me. Just a simple concept executed flawlessly.

Yes, these brothers are now have developed and their other movie as well. Talked to me. Things happen to where you're nervous about what they're going to do to you next, Yes, like oh shit, here we go. Yep, yeah that happens.

So this next one actually made me laugh. My nightmares have nightmares about this movie. So nicely done.

Yeah that's about right.

Oh, here's another one.

Creative originally original storytelling and scary as hell.

If you've ever lost.

Someone extremely important to you, it will resonate on a deeper level. How far would you be willing to go to communicate one more time with the loved one you lost? Would you put the live of lives of others at risk? Intense gripping film.

Yeah, that's something we No matter how ridiculous a lot of horror movies can be. In plots, there's always usually one scenario. You look next to the person, what would you do? Right?

Exactly?

This is one of those things where this is a deeper This is not it would you go in that room or not? No, this is would you do that? Would you make that sacrifice if you could talk to that person one more time?

Would you risk the Yes?

It's interesting.

Oooh all right, I've got a bad review and this one for me was a WTF But I wanted to include it because I wanted to get your reaction. While I can see the appeal to a small segment of the horror click Talk to Me was nothing more than a ninety minute parable about guilt and not dealing with one's abandonment issues. The first act is unreasonably long winded, with expository about characters that we ultimately don't care about.

Their shallow, thoughtless and boring.

So much more could have happened with a minimum of effort, But then that's all the filmmakers gave this one minimum effort.

Yeah, I'm sorry for that. That person's going through something. I'm not saying this as a joke, but that seems like a very personal take on a movie, Like everything you saw is going through whatever lens you have of what's going on in your world and how things should be, Like I didn't necessarily hear a review of the acting necessarily. It's all seemed personal and mean. And what was the first line? Small?

What was he could see the appeal to a small segment of the horror click?

It made how much ninety two million dollars?

Stop?

Yes, and this is arguably like you could not like it. But to say that, it's like to say that it's like just boring and effortless, that.

Is just mean.

That's something else.

Clearly, this is a well reviewed and exceptional movie that you might not like. Yeah, that's fine, and that's okay. But to say it's not made well, to say it's not made with fought that's insane.

Fine, if you don't like it, the suggestion here that you don't respect it means we shouldn't take you seriously. Yeah, you have to stop. Yes, and has their opinion, but that's personal. What was that? Right?

Isn't that interesting when people go and just put.

Out whatever they.

Well, I can see the appeal to a small segment of the horror Click Talk to me was nothing more than a ninety minute parable guilt and not dealing with one's abandonment issue.

So terrible about guilt and not dealing with abandoned to men? What are you supposed?

What? I know? How did did they watch the same movie we did?

No, they have gone through something in their lives that makes them see everything through a particular len projection. Yes, I've learned a lot about that in the past several years, So I'm not mad. I'm just curious about what that person's going right.

Yeah, No, that makes a lot of sense.

But you know what we're gonna tell you when we come back, why this film made our list, who it's for, who it's not for, what to pairl with, and a peek into how we will begin our Top five. Welcome back to this edition. Of Amy and TJ. This is our Halloween Horror hit list, and we are already wow at number six we are talking about talk to me. This has been one of our favorite movies of all time, and that's of course why it is so high on our list. But my god, I haven't seen a movie

You know, I'm only compared to this, not in terms of what it was. It's for a storyline. Insidious was before Conjuring, or Conjuring was before Insidious. I can't remember when. I can't honestly answer that I'm gonna go with Insidious because I remember when that movie came out. It was so new and fresh and different. It was a fresh entry into horror, and we're not used to seeing things that kind of you know, give us something new to look forward to, or something new to see. Which one was fright?

Insidious was twenty eleven, the Conjuring was twenty thirteen.

I'll be damned. Okay, So I guess I'm thinking about it, right. I remember when Insidious came on board. As much as we love horror movies, wow, this is new and fresh and different. This isn't like the others talk to me was that it was not like the others, And I didn't know about these brothers who direct, But now to see and to put together and to see their other movie, there's a new age, a new line of thought even and care and acting and expectation of horror movies. Now

For horror movie fans. So it's not it doesn't have to just be a one trick pony. And I think that's what we've seen over the last oh my god decade, at least more.

So Go this year. Yeah, Weapons, Sinners, Bloodlines, with the final Destination, it's been a batner.

It's run the Gama and they've been amazing and it's been really exciting.

Yes, so why it made our list?

Yet? This movie is gripping from the start. We've obviously talked about the amazing oscar Worthy performance of Sophie Wild. It's just scary as hell with great storytelling. Just there's not I can't think of one negative thing other than maybe it lingered a little too long on some really disturbing scenes, and you know what.

That made the movie. That's not a criticism of the movie for me, that's just a personal preference, right, please make.

It and discomfort.

I mean, obviously, no one's watching horror movies to feel happy and light. You know, No, there's a there's a reason you're wanting to feel that intensity and that thrill. So okay, that was comedy for who is this for? Anyone who wants to be scared like this is genuinely scary, Be prepared to have to hide your eyes, be prepared for a couple of really tough scenes because they go there.

Like you're thinking, oh, they're not going to go there.

They go there and then they stay there.

And it's not gratuitous, it's not I never saw anything. Is that this is over the top? Is too much? Why they have to do? No, no, no, no, it's just a choice, and it's powerful. I get it.

And then so who it's not for?

If you if supernatural stuff creeps you out, stay the hell away from this. And if you don't want anything too intense, if you're looking for that light, fun, blackening, you know kind of movie. This is the frame joke laughter in the movie, No, because not only is it intensely scary, there's also just intense themes about death, about you.

Know, friendships, relationships, family.

Yeah, it all comes into questions.

I think of one joke, a one moment like, oh my god, that was funny. I can't remember.

I don't think it ever lets up.

The intensity is just full blast, full throttle.

There's one scene and we're not giving anything away where they're doing their thing, the kids before things get crazy to where they're having fun with it and some silly things happen. I think maybe that even those silly things are a.

Little it's still ominous.

Like you knew it was a harbinger of what was to come, and it was going to be a lot worse. Like yes, you when you were watching them party and enjoy the initial supernatural pops that they were getting, you were kind of laughing along with them, but you knew it was going to end really badly, so you were on edge.

It's kids playing spin the bottle at an event, right, Think of that, Yes, kids are together playing spin the bottle. Parents are gone. That's alcohol flowing. Something's gonna happen. Think of that scenario, but with supernatural.

Elements, what could possibly go wrong? So, given the intensity of the movie with the food drink pairing, I think you should keep it simple, Like.

I'm thinking popcorn is cool now.

I was also trying to keep with the Australian theme because this is set in Australia, Australian filmmakers, Australian actress. But kangaroo and vegamite just did not sound like something anyone would want to actually, so that's ridiculous and unreasonable.

You know? I dark liquor, bourbon on the rocks, get your Scotch. You're gonna need a stiff drink at some point, a.

Shot of whatever dark liquor with your fosters to chase it down.

Yeah, this is absolutely a forty oh, no eighty proof and above movie.

It's intense, folks. Don't say we didn't warn you. This is on HBO Max also Paramount Plus, so you can if you have Hulu or Prime and you've got that Paramount Plus edition, which of course we do.

You can watch on either of those.

So our next episode this will actually be starting out our top five, so number five on the list. It's an oldie, but a goodie. I would even say it was an indie sleeper hit that might have become more popular recently just because of streaming services. But you and I connected on this movie way back when it was

Oh, that's kind of what we had said this.

I am very excited to talk about this one with everybody. And you're right, this might be the first movie that I realized, Okay, Amy Robosa, she's a real one. This might be the one.

It's true that is. This is a litmus test, So I'll give you one more hints. I hope this doesn't go too far to the movie.

It probably is if you have to set it up that way. If you think it does, it's not.

There are plenty of this movie of movies this could go apply to it will take you to depths you never thought you'd go now.

So you know you're trying to be too clever.

And with that, everyone I made Robock alongside DJ Holmes, We'll talk to you soon.