Talk To Me #horror: The Overlooked Tech-Driven Horror Flick

Overview of Talk To Me #horror

Talk To Me #horror is a 2014 horror movie directed by Danny Philippou. The plot follows a group of teenagers who discover an unusual mobile app called "Talk To Me" that allows them to connect with the dead. However, they soon realize the app opens a gateway to ominous entities that put their lives in grave danger.

The Story and Key Characters

The main characters are a group of high school students - Kaitlin, Colin, Jason, and Izzy. Bored at a party one night, Colin downloads the "Talk To Me" app on his phone without realizing the dark powers it possesses. The app allows users to have text conversations with the dead through their phones.

Intrigued, the friends begin conversing with a friendly spirit named Emily. However, they soon lose control of the situation as more malicious entities enter their phones and the conversations take a twisted turn. It’s not long before these dark spirits break out into the real world and the friends have to find a way to survive the horror they’ve unleashed.

Key Themes and Film Style

Some of the main themes explored in the movie are death, the occult, and the dark side of technology. On the surface, the app looks like an innocent way to satisfy curiosity about the afterlife. But the teens unleash a Pandora’s box of evil that puts their lives at risk.

Stylistically, Talk To Me #horror utilizes the “found footage” technique to heighten suspense. Several scenes feature the group video chatting, allowing viewers to experience the horror along with the characters. There are also shots from the screens of their phones, showing the chilling text conversations with the entities.

Critical Reception

Talk To Me #horror received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the original concept and clever use of modern technology to drive the horror. However, others felt the execution was lacking and the story failed to deliver truly scary moments.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 57% based on 21 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. Critics consensus stated, “Talk to Me #Horror has a clever concept that addresses technology and teens’ connections with it, but the execution doesn’t quite live up to its promise.”

Memorable Scenes

Some of the most memorable scenes that capture the horror element include:

• The opening scene where Colin first downloads the app and Emily’s friendly spirit lures the teens into a false sense of security during their first conversation.
• Jason’s apparent suicide under the control of the evil entities that takes his friends by complete shock.
• The climax where the remaining friends finally realize they are dealing with demonic forces beyond their control.

The Ending

The ending shows Kaitlin as the sole survivor, still running from the demons pursuing her. She gets into a car accident where her car flips over. As she crawls from the wreckage, a demon appears and presumably takes her life. The film ends on an abrupt note with her fate unclear.

Legacy

Despite its flaws, Talk To Me #horror is remembered as an ambitious horror flick that tapped into modern tech fears. It showed the horror potential of something as commonplace yet eerie as a phone screen late at night. It also highlighted teenage vulnerabilities in the digital age dangers hiding behind fun distractions.

Influences on Later Films

As one of the earlier tech-driven horror films, Talk To Me #horror influenced later movies exploring the ominous side of technology. This includes the Unfriended films (2014, 2018) centering around an evil spirit spreading through viral videos and webcams. As well as Countdown (2019) featuring a killer app predicting user’s times of death.

Possibility of a Sequel

The movie’s ending leaves the door open for a sequel. With Kaitlin’s fate unclear, the demonic entities still lurking within the phones, and the app seeming to spread to more people, there is room to pick up the story and continue the tech-infused horror.

However, the film’s middling reception and lack of breakout commercial success make a sequel unlikely. But the concept could potentially be reworked or inspire future movies as audiences continue to explore society’s fears around technological over-dependence and digitally lurking horrors we’ve yet to understand.

FAQs

What is the plot of Talk To Me #horror?

The plot follows a group of high school students who discover a phone app called "Talk To Me" that allows conversations with the dead. At first they have harmless chats, but soon malevolent spirits enter their phones and break out into the real world, terrorizing the teens.

What was the critical reception of the film?

The film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 57% Tomatometer score based on 21 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. Critics praised the original concept but felt the execution was lacking in delivering truly frightening moments.

How did Talk To Me #horror influence later horror films?

As an early tech-driven horror film, it inspired later movies like Unfriended and Countdown which also explored scary implications of technology through concepts like killer apps, viral videos, and internet ghosts.

Is a sequel for Talk To Me #horror likely?

No, a sequel is unlikely due to the film's middling critical and commercial reception. But the concept could potentially be reworked or inspire future tech-based horror movies as fears around digital dependence and online evils continue to grow.