A New Kind of Horror
Talk to Me (2022), directed by Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, reinvigorated the horror genre with its fresh blend of urban teen drama, ritualistic possession, and disturbing emotional undertones. At its core, it tells the story of Mia, a grieving teenager who becomes dangerously obsessed with contacting the dead through a mysterious embalmed hand.
But while the possession sequences and psychological tension deliver on the surface, there’s one quiet, blink-and-you-miss-it scene that rewires the entire film—and most viewers overlook it.
Let’s break it down.
The Scene You Probably Missed
Roughly halfway through the film, after Mia has already used the embalmed hand multiple times and Riley’s condition worsens, there’s a moment where Mia sits alone in her room, scanning her phone. She watches an old video of her mother, smiling and laughing.
Then, something subtle happens: the camera lingers behind her for just a few seconds too long. In the reflection of her phone screen, there’s a faint shadow behind her—a figure not otherwise seen in the room.
This is not a jump scare. It’s not accompanied by sound cues or emphasized by dialogue. It’s easy to brush off. But that reflection is important.
Because it confirms something terrifying: Mia is already being followed—long before she realizes it.
What This Scene Actually Means
Up to that point, the film leads you to believe that possession only occurs during the 90-second hand-holding ritual. But this moment breaks that rule.
The implication is that Mia’s connection to the spirit world isn’t limited to the ritual. She’s been marked. Possibly even manipulated. This moment reveals that the spirits are choosing her, not the other way around.
And if they’ve already crossed the threshold into her private life, it means that everything Mia sees—and more importantly, believes—can be influenced by them.
This explains the increasingly surreal experiences she has after Riley’s injury, including her visions of her dead mother urging her to “bring him back.”
The Real Horror: Mia Is an Unreliable Narrator
By subtly showing that Mia is already under spiritual influence, the film adds a chilling layer: we can no longer trust what she sees.
This makes later scenes—like when she believes she’s helping Riley escape torment—deeply ambiguous. Is she saving him? Or is she being manipulated into delivering his soul to the spirits?
The directors use this unspoken logic shift to drive the film’s most devastating choices, including the final act.
Clues That Support This Theory
Once you notice the phone reflection, other details start to click:
- Mia’s repeated urges to use the hand even when warned not to.
- Her inability to recognize possession symptoms in herself.
- The dreams, whispers, and shifting visual cues that follow her in solitude.
- The sudden changes in her behavior and perception of reality.
This isn’t just about grief anymore—it’s about a girl already under the thumb of something far darker than she realizes.
The Ending Hits Harder in This Context
The final moments of Talk to Me show Mia stepping into traffic, resulting in her death, and awakening in the void—becoming one of the spirits herself.
When viewed through the lens of that earlier hidden scene, her fate seems inevitable. She wasn’t a victim of peer pressure or teenage recklessness. She was being hunted and seduced by the very world she thought she was exploring.
The spirits never left her. They just waited.
Final Thoughts
Talk to Me is a masterclass in subtle horror. It doesn’t rely on exposition to deliver its message—it buries its deepest truths in visual cues and unspoken dread.
Missing the phone reflection scene might not ruin the experience, but catching it transforms the entire story. It shifts Mia from a tragic hero into a cautionary tale about unresolved grief and spiritual vulnerability.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
An emotionally charged horror story that reveals its darkest secrets in the quietest moments.