According to a new report at Variety, the good folks at A24 are closing a deal to acquire Danny and Michael Philippou’s excellent debut horror feature, Talk to Me. The deal is said to be in the high seven figures, and the current plan calls for A24 to roll the film out via wide release in theaters this summer.
Those unfamiliar with the Philippou brothers might be curious to know that the pair spent years sharpening their talents on YouTube under the name RakkaRakka, producing a mind-boggling assortment of live-action shorts (many of them horror-focused). Talk to Me marks their feature film debut, and – as anyone who caught the movie during its Sundance premiere can tell you – they knocked it right the hell out of the park.
Here’s Variety’s description of the plot:
“The film, which stars Sophia Wilde, Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Djanji and Zoe Terakes, follows a group of teenage friends that takes up communion with spirits as a party activity. Mia (Wilde) looks to connect with the supernatural following the death of her mother, but a sรฉance gone wrong carries terrifying consequences for the group.”
Reviews for Talk to Me have been nothing short of spectacular (it’s currently sitting at a 100% over on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics are calling it “perversely fun and totally fucked up” and “refreshingly ruthless”), and we firmly expect horror audiences to agree with those critics once they get a chance to see this one. Talk to Me is one helluva ride!
Nothing further to report at this time, but rest assured we’ll be keeping you informed as further Talk to Me updates roll in. Stand by for those and, in the meantime, if you happen to find yourself at a party where people are communing with the dead for funsies … uh, maybe just go home. It’s really not worth the trouble.
