20 Incredible Modern Horror Movies That Came Out Of NOWHERE
6. Talk to Me
As we’ve already seen – and will continue to see – the 2020s is the decade that proved that thriving YouTubers/internet personalities can also make some of the coolest and scariest horrors of their generation. That movement was largely kicked off by Danny and Michael Philippou’s socially conscious rejuvenation of the possession subgenre: 2022’s Talk to Me.
Equal parts The Exorcist, Flatliners, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off – but without the comedy – the movie takes the age-old blueprint of brazen teenagers stupidly summoning evil spirits to new heights. In the process, it also tackles loneliness, grief, identity, and peer pressure while serving as a poised examination of modern, technology-obsessed Australian youth culture.
As previously alluded to on this list, the physical and eternal tortures Joe Bird’s Riley endures are truly disturbing, and several other people are put through the wringer as well. For instance, Sophie Wilde’s Mia contends with the evil she and her friends have unleashed alongside wrestling with the death of her mother and the consequential detachment of her father.
That daringness – coupled with the Philippou brothers’ commitment to emotional storytelling, inventive cinematography, and uncomfortable but fitting aftermaths – makes Talk to Me exceptional.
The siblings weren’t one-trick ponies, either, as showcased by 2025’s arguably more upsetting Bring Her Back. Hopefully, their upcoming Talk 2 Me is a worthy sequel to their breakout masterpiece.