Talk to Me – Second Sight Films 4K UHD Review
Just when you think you’ve seen every possession horror twist, Talk to Me comes along, grabs you with a severed, embalmed hand and doesn’t let go for 90.
The Guys behind the RACKARACKA Youtube videos/channel Danny and Michael Philippou make their feature debut with this film that starts with a group of teens discovering an embalmed hand that, when held, allows them to speak with spirits—but only for 90 seconds. What begins as a dare quickly spirals into trauma, as grief and possession merge into something deeply unsettling.
The entire cast deliver grounded, affecting performances that keep things from ever drifting into B‑movie silliness. Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird’s particularly carry real emotional weight and when Mia is possessed there’s some properly unsettling stuff. The practical effects help the performances and are brutal in a way CGI very rarely manages, the contact lenses alone are horrendous.
That 90‑second hold the hand rule is a clever idea that builds real tension. The hand being analogous to drugs, they get a fix and their friends look on. Those who haven’t tried it are curious and open to the peer pressure, yet the film’s meanings are open to interpretation. Grief, growing up, teens filming possessions like content, tapping into our digital age junkie culture as well as the completely analog drug culture. Personally for the most part, I just watch films and don’t think too far past what’s shown to me on screen. It’s a film about a haunted hand innit?. Deep me!
The film clips along at a nice rate, no fat on the 95 minute bone here but the final third does feel chaotic, like it’s missing a certain something and the plot, well, loses the plot. It could have done with slowing down a bit here and I found myself slightly confused by the end, even after multiple viewings.
If you’re after something that’s visceral, inventive, and gripping (pardon the pun), Talk to Me doesn’t just deliver it taps into something raw, taking possession tropes and twisting them into something powerful.
Turn off your phone and talk to the hand. This is the kind of horror that sticks with you well after the credits roll.
Oh and speaking of after the credits roll, as expected from Second Sight there’s plenty of Extra goodies on this disc.
Let’s have a peek at those Special Features shall we?
UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision – This film looks gorgeous. Blacks are smooth and inky, skin tones natural, the dark scenes are clear and the contrast levels (to my untrained eye) are spot on. Scenes like the one with Riley and Mia chatting in the night with the rain casting moving shadow across them look amazing.Colours look vibrant in as much as they can in a film with somewhat muted colour grading. The audio is crisp and intense, a solid mix, but unfortunately for some no Dolby Atmos.
New audio commentary by Emma Westwood and Sally Christie – Emma and Sally discuss the film. Not a scene by scene breakdown but an overall chat which goes into the film makers background etc. They’re clearly knowledgeable and the chat flows naturalistically and they come across really nicely. It’s quite a fun commentary.
Audio Commentary with Directors Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou – If you’ve seen any RackaRacka videos you might expect this audio commentary to be a hundred miles a minute, rapid, manic and wild. Well I hate to disappoint you, so I won’t. It is. Funny, fast and increasingly informative.
Talk to Them: a new interview with Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou – 52 minutes of the Philippou bros. Danny talks at three billion syllables a second while Michael rocks back and forth next to him waiting for a chance to get in there. There is definitely a spectrum these guys sit on. They’re instantly likeable, or maybe a bit Vegemite. They clearly love their craft and are inspirational if nothing else. Energy, energy energy.
Conjuring Demons: a new interview with Producer Samantha Jennings – Straight drop to 19 minutes with Samantha Jennings.This is a little more sedate that the Philippou’s you’ll be surprised to hear. Samantha discusses a lot of interesting stuff from production, how she knew the brothers and making the film. As expected, this is well shot with nice clear audio. Really interesting dip behind the scenes.
Beautifully Grotesque: a new interview with Cinematographer Aaron McLisky – Hang on! this one jumps up to 25 minutes, what are you doing to me Second Sight? Aaron talks about the script, importance of crew, the looks he went for and what he thought about the themes that helped form his choices. Very briefly discusses trying to start the production up during lockdown and some of how Covid affected shooting, which is interesting. Nice little interview.
Contagion: Kat Ellinger on Talk to Me – 16 minute of my favourite type of extra… The “I read my thesis to you” extra. It’s good, it’s not going to make me like these things, but it’s good.
Behind the Scenes of Talk to Me: archive featurette – Short at 8 minutes. Basically behind the scenes tv spots, on set interviews. The usually kind of thing. Decent.
Behind the Scenes – No Spoilers: archive featurette – Another 8 minutes. Same thing really but more bts on set, actual shooting footage btw and bloopers etc. These are your more old school DVD extras style extras.
Deleted Scenes – 6 minutes 6 deleted scenes. None of them are particularly spectacular and can see why they would have been culled.
Cast Interviews – 22 minutes of cast interviews. You’ll see some of the bits during other extras on this disc. Well shot, almost corporate case study style. Audio’s a little bit echoey so I’m assuming these were shot between the more planned for main use interviews. Nice interviews though.
Crew Interviews – 15 minutes with crew. Starts with Danny Philippou and his clone. Again, simply shot, mixed bag of audio. Good, interesting interviews. Nice!
Limited Edition Contents
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Ann Bembi
- 120-page book with new essays by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Kat Hughes, Meagan Navarro, Cecilia Sayad, Rebecca Sayce and Amber T
- 6 collectors’ art cards
Second Sight’s Limited Edition elevates it from must-watch to must-own. Grab the hand and let it haunt your collection.
Talk To Me is available as a limited edition 4K & Blu-ray box set and a standard edition 4K and Blu-ray from Monday 23rd June 2025 from Second Sight Films.
