TALK TO ME

The hand that shocks...

- KEVIN HARLEY

Give a group of drunken teenagers a supernatural artefact, light the touch paper, retreat and observe… It’s a set-up that has worked for horror films many times, perhaps with a dusty Ouija board to hand, often with quotable rules and rituals attached. Now, Australian director twins Danny and Michael Philippou add the pursuit of viral infamy for a flawed but full- blooded twist on horror lore: even if the brothers are operating with formula, they know how to make the clichés work for them.

With YouTube experience under their belt from their RackaRacka channel, they know how to get a fast, tight grip on viewers, too. We start with a bumping party in full flow, where an agitated hunt for someone leads to a sharp-edged barrage of twists. Quick, get it on TikTok.

Showing confidence in pacing, the Philippous don’t rush to connect this episode to the rest of the film. Instead, they take time to introduce Mia (Sophie Wilde), a young woman grieving on the second anniversary of her mother’s death. Estranged from her father Max (Marcus Johnson), Mia spends most of her time with best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) and her younger brother Riley (Joe Bird). Meanwhile, Jade and Riley’s mother, Sue (Miranda Otto), looks on with warmth and worry as the girls party hard.