Not on my radar for my 2023 film expectations was seeing an instant genre classic from Australian born Youtube sensations RackaRacka, aka twin brothers from Adelaide Danny and Michael Philippou.

Proving that with the the right amount of imagination, skill and energy Australian filmmakers and filmmaking can match it with the best, the Philippou's have alongside their distribution collaborators A24 (once more marking themselves down as the kings of unique features) crafted one of the modern eras best Aussie offerings as well as one of the most unnerving and effective horror entries of recent times.

No strangers to the horror space thanks to their extensive work on short Youtube offerings that put the directors on the international radar, the Philippou's enlisted the support of The Babadook's Causeway Films to help them guide a young and mostly inexperienced local cast through an experience that may appear on paper to be yet another horror by numbers jump scare fest that becomes anything but thanks to a range of impressive factors.

Founded around newcomer Sophie Wilde's instant star-making turn as the inwardly tormented Mia, a teenage girl whose still trying to overcome the recent death of her mother, Talk to Me follows Mia and her school friends experiences with a seemingly supernatural embalmed hand that gives them opportunities to welcome in spirits from the world of the dead but also opening them up to the dark side of that mysterious realm that could have horrific impacts on their lives and mental state.

Saying much more about the way in which Talk to Me unfolds or how the story progresses throughout a sharp and never less than engaging 90 minute runtime would ruin elements of the Philippou's feature that calls to mind components of recent horror successes Hereditary and The Witch, if in no other way in which it mines the same type of feeling of dread and unease across its narrative that steers clear from easy scares or predictability to become something that feels fresh, dangerous and exciting.

From the moment the film opens with an impressive tracking shot that will have audiences shocked from the get-go, Talk to Me maintains a rapid, unrelenting and smartly designed pace and design, filled with solid turns from it's mostly young cast and remaining constantly outside of doing what many other films would do as an easy out, the Philippou's film isn't exactly easy viewing but it's essential viewing, with its worldwide success a great moment for Australian cinema and a shining beacon as to what can be done here by making a local film that doesn't have to feel like a pale imitator of Hollywood productions or creaky DIY efforts.

Final Say -

The horror film of 2023 is here and its coming from a source close to home. Talk to Me is a film that will get under your skin and not let up from start to finish, creating an unpredictable and suspenseful offering, heralding in the Philippou brothers as the hottest property on the Australian filmmaking scene, who we should all be very excited by as their journey takes off.

4 1/2 RVCA t-shirts out of 5.

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)