‘Lord of the Rings’ mastermind crowns one new film as the ‘the best, most intense horror movie’ in years

A24‘s spooky new horror feature has earned a huge token of appreciation from the mastermind behind the epic Lord of the Rings franchise. With a plethora of new, innovative horror releases like M3GAN and legacy sequels like Evil Dead Rise dominating the horror genre lately, it has become a tough task for movies to crack the code and stand out. However, one innovative and experimental new film from first-time directors seems to have found the secret sauce.

Peter Jackson has spoken about the recent hit Australian horror movie Talk to Me and labeled it “relentlessly scary and disturbing, in the best possible way.” The praise is all the more extraordinary, as Talk to Me is YouTube stars Danny and Michael Philippou’s debut feature film.

In a statement to Ahi, one of the film’s distributors across Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Australia, Peter Jackson has named Talk to Me as the best horror movie in recent history (via newshub):

“Talk To Me isn’t just good – it’s very very good. The best, most intense, horror movie I’ve enjoyed in years.”

The ground-breaking supernatural horror premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 22, 2023, after its world premiere at the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival. The film has received immense praise ever since, and currently boasts a 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and a 7.5 IMDb rating. Talk to Me was released internationally on July 28, 2023, and quickly gained cult status. The film’s official plot synopsis (via A24) reads:

“When a group of friends discovers how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.”

Various other brilliant filmmakers have also endorsed the twisted tale, including Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, and George Miller. Jackson’s comments hold huge significance as they came around the same time A24 announced a sequel, titled Talk 2 Me, is in the works. The sequel will reportedly explore Duckett’s backstory, which leads into the character’s introduction in the original movie.

Talk to Me opened alongside Disney’s remake of Haunted Manson in the United States, and as such, faced tough competition. Talk to Me debuted at $10.4 million, marking the best start for an A24 film since Midsommar in July 2019. As of Aug. 14, 2023, Talk to Me has grossed $36.5 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), against a budget of only $4.5 million. In comparison, Haunted Mansion has made a disappointing $75.5 million against a whopping $150 million budget.

It’s fairly safe to say, then, that Talk to Me has easily defeated Haunted Mansion both at the box office and at the critics’ desk. Catch the film in theaters now!