But don’t talk to the hand…
When I think about movies that deal with demonic possession, my mind conjures images of priests holding crucifixes over screaming teenagers whose eyes are rolled in the back of their heads. There is usually a bit of screaming passages from the bible, maybe a little holy water splashing around, and definitely a lot of harsh speeches from the back of the possessee’s throat as they become the devil’s megaphone. Although there is a place for this trope and plenty of exceptions, I tend to get headaches from even the trailers of such films. In recent years filmmakers have used psychics and ghosthunter types as worthy alternatives to the priestly exorcists that we all grew up with. What do these types of characters have in common? They all know what they are doing. They are professionals. “Talk to Me” takes a different approach where a bunch of kids are just trying to figure it out as they go along. There is no ancient book or spirit-casting expert. Perhaps this is one of the variables that has earned this film its reputation of being the scariest film of the year.
When I saw the preview for Talk to Me, I was reminded of last year’s comical horror flick, “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” I think of that film often and have not been able to get the Charli XCX song, Hot Girl, out of my head since I saw it in the theater. Although “Talk to Me” had some comedic moments, it had a much more serious tone. Even the soundtrack highlighted songs from horror-centric rapper, Sadistik, whose lyricism is much heavier and poetic than your average rap song for the party scene in a film.
“Talk to Me” is the story of a group of teenagers who find an embalmed hand with a ceramic outer casing. This object is possessed and whoever touches it is in a trance where they are temporarily possessed when they perform a certain ritual. These kids do what any promising youths would do upon such a discovery in 2023; they perform the ritual repeatedly with anyone they can get to do it, make a video with their phones, and post it to the internet.
Scariest movie of the year? Nope! Will it scare your friends that are sensitive to horror movies? Hell, yeah it will! “Talk to Me” is a playful modern horror tale that is equipped with great jump scares, a unique storyline, and a great flow. Check it out!
About Nathan Conrad:
He’s best known as the Nashville-based Hip Hop/Indie Pop emcee Spoken Nerd, but this isn’t your typical rap project. He rhymes playfully at times, singing and/or rapping, juxtaposing his style with real-life situations and subject matter. Occasionally Spoken Nerd will find inspiration in films and will put it into song. With eight full-length albums into his career, the rapper has built a healthy catalog of music, which doesn’t include the number of EPs and singles released. His most recent release is the collaborative effort Grapes, with Juan Cosby.
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