In 2023, original horror movies are a huge gamble. Insidious is more popular than ever, we’re gearing up for Saw X, and legacy reboots abound. But hot on the heels of another huge blockbuster event, one horror movie managed to perform better than anyone expected.
Talk to Me, the feature directorial debut of Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, took a simple concept of séances and confronting ghosts and elevated it to a completely new level, with surprising levels of body horror and gore that enraptured viewers. The movie became a sleeper hit, earning indie film distributor A24 $10 million and its second biggest weekend ever, following only the premiere of 2018’s Hereditary. That may not sound like a lot after one of the biggest weekends in cinematic history, but it’s double the film’s budget of $4.5 million.
Even though the film is still in theaters nationwide, A24 took to Twitter to announce a sequel, naturally titled Talk 2 Me. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Philippou Brothers are confirmed to return for the sequel, so fans can expect the same tone and level of scares.
It’s arguable whether or not the movie warrants a sequel — the ending is shocking and quite definite — but horror franchises switch out protagonists and focuses all the time; just look at Paranormal Activity or Scream. This indie venture may just become the next launching pad for a new series of horror movies, especially in the era of “IP movies.”
Now, Talk to Me is its own IP, and Talk 2 Me will only further cement it in the zeitgeist. Only one question remains: will the inevitable third movie be called Talk to 3?
