If you’re an avid follower of the horror genre, especially films that involve haunted objects that wreak havoc on the lives of those who encounter them, then Talk To Me is perfect for you. This A24 special was released in theaters in July 2023 and became an instant hit. Directed by Australian twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, known together as RackaRacka, the film had only a $4.5 million budget and brought in a staggering $92.2 million worldwide.
In the year since its commercial release, this thrilling teen scream drama has many fans still trying to unpack its hair-raising ending, which finds the film’s focal point, Mia, in a terrifying and unexplained position. Luckily, we are here to help break down this conclusion for you, though be warned, there are many spoilers ahead.
What is Talk To Me About?
The film follows 17-year-old Mia, portrayed by Sophie Wilde, as she grapples with the loss of her mother. Thankfully, her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) and Jade’s younger brother Riley (Joe Bird) offer much-needed support to Mia, who has a tense relationship with her father, played by Marcus Johnson. The film starts on Mia’s mother’s death anniversary, which is naturally difficult for her. Eager to escape the sadness of the day and the awkwardness with her dad, she quickly finds a reason to go hang out with Riley. After retrieving him from a park, the two make their way to his home but encounter a mortally injured kangaroo on the way. Despite Riley urging Mia to put the dying animal out of its misery by hitting it, she cannot bring herself to, likely given the emotional state she is in.
At the siblings’ home, Mia shows Jade a viral video of their classmates playing a terrifying game, which involves them holding a white ceramic hand, which seemingly helps them to conjure up spirits. Once the entities come through the object, they possess the individual touching it, creating a euphoric moment that leaves the group laughing when it’s over. Jade isn’t sold on the game’s authenticity, though Mia, desperate to possibly contact her mother, is convinced it works.
During a get-together that same evening, the mysterious hand statue is present, thanks to another teen, Haley (Zoe Terakes), who has been storing it. The grief-stricken teen is the first to grab the hand and make contact with one of the spirits. As the rules go, the participants must ensure a candle is lit and then verbally state “Talk to me” upon grabbing the hand, which allows the spirit to enter their bodies. The key to keeping the possession from getting out of hand is to close the spiritual door after 90 seconds. However, when the timer approaches the allotted time, and Mia is still connected, the teens find that she is unable to be disconnected, ultimately deeming her possessed permanently by an evil entity that imitates Mia’s mother. Sadly, this spirit has a hold on the girl for the remainder of the film, leading to dire consequences.
How the Spirit Ruins Mia’s Life
After Mia breaks the rules of the ritual, the true effects of that evening begin to emerge. During another gathering, the friends once again bring out the hand, though this time Riley gets a turn in voluntarily allowing himself to be possessed. The spirit enters him, posing as Mia’s mother, which leads the distraught daughter to allow the ritual to go on much longer than the safe 90 seconds. This leads to a violent attack, which finds Riley being slung into a window before slamming his head against a desk numerous times. Big sister Jade finally enters the room and stops Riley from harming himself, though it is too late.
After being transported to the hospital, Riley and Jade’s mother place the blame on Mia, who is experiencing her own haunting. Mia wants to reverse the possession of Riley, so she tries to do so by conducting another ritual to close the spiritual door. She tries lighting a candle and placing Riley’s hand on the ceramic hand while saying, “Talk to him.” She then blows out the candle, hoping this will end the possession, to no avail.
Mia then uses the demonic hand to peek into the world of the dead, where she sees Riley being tortured by more spirits. Meanwhile, this chaotic character continues to be tormented by the spirit she believes is her mother, who also turns her against her father and even Riley. In a stunning moment while in her trance, Mia is being led by the evil impersonator to believe that her father is responsible for the death of her mother, who actually died by suicide. This leads her to stab him and then concoct a plan to kill Riley in an effort to stop his suffering. As she kidnaps Riley from the hospital in a plan to throw him into oncoming traffic, Mia snaps out of her daze and instead throws herself into oncoming traffic.
‘Talk To Me’ Ending Explained
The next time we see Mia following this catastrophic event, she is in a hospital, bloodied and bruised. It appears she is deceased herself as she stumbles through the facility where nowhere can hear her speaking or see her. She watches both her father and Riley completely healed before she is left in complete darkness.
Now, Mia has become one of the spirits stuck inside the haunted hand. The ending scene gathers new players as one holds the object and urges a presence to come forward. The tormented spirit version of Mia walks toward their lit candle and moves to possess the man holding the statue, who says, “I let you in,” before the cameras cut. This dramatic ending leaves the door open for a sequel, which would be a welcome treat for fans of this spooky thriller.
