Talk to Me (2022)

Contacting the dead is a party trick in Talk to Me, a hand passed around a living room while everyone films and laughs, and that’s the scariest idea in the movie. It’s also the clearest. Once things go wrong, the rules about the hand get fuzzy, and the last act stops caring what’s real and what’s a vision. You’ll be too tense to mind. Sophie Wilde is fantastic as Mia, a grieving girl who keeps reaching for that hand because for ninety seconds she doesn’t feel alone. Joe Bird is heartbreaking as Riley, the kid brother who just wanted to be included. Alexandra Jensen makes Jade the friend who sees the danger first and can’t stop it. The Philippou brothers, in their first feature, keep the scares close and personal, more dread than shock. It made $92.2 million worldwide on a reported $4.5M. A 7.7 because it’s scary in a way that actually hurts. $55.79 says the next time a friend says let’s try something, you ask exactly how many seconds it takes.

What works: Sophie Wilde gives a raw, believable lead performance, and the party scenes capture a scary, very modern kind of peer pressure.

What doesn’t: The rules of the hand stay vague, and the final act blurs visions and reality so much that the story gets muddy.

Who it’s for: Older teens and adults who like their horror smart and sad, focused on grief more than jump scares.