In A24’s buzzy Gen-Z supernatural horror-thriller “Talk to Me,” an embalmed hand is the gateway to the spirit world for thrill-seeking teens, even if Mia (Sophie Wilde), quietly mourning the anniversary of her mother’s death, is looking for more than just a distraction. Light a candle. Grab the hand. Say the magic words. Just don’t leave the door open too long, or the adrenaline rush will come at a terrible cost.
Not that Aussie YouTubers -turned-filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, both 30, would turn down the chance to party with the undead. Speaking to The Times during a recent stopover in Los Angeles, the energetic twins lit up explaining their attraction to haunted places and the night they spent looking for ghosts on the Queen Mary.
“They restricted the area that you were allowed to go to, but it’s a huge ship and we lost ourselves on the boat,” Michael says with a grin.
Their morbid curiosity didn’t take a break while shooting their feature debut, “Talk to Me,” in a hospital said to have a haunted wing. “After filming wrapped, the security guard cleared everyone out, and we snuck past and had a slumber party,” says Danny, sporting bleached blond hair, erupting into peals of laughter with his brother. “Even now, we’re obsessed with the paranormal.”