Movies
The Ending of ‘Talk To Me’ Explained
A24’s Talk To Me chronicles the story of 17-year-old Mia, played by Sophie Wilde, whose desperation for genuine connection makes her a dangerous candidate for possession. The possession is voluntary and happens to anyone who grabs the movie’s signature embalmed Hand before a lit candle and recites two incantations. The first is “Talk to me,” which summons a spirit for the person holding the Hand to see. Lastly, “I let you in” grants the spirit permission to enter the person’s body for 90 seconds. Any longer, and the spirit may become too attached: a lesson Mia unfortunately learns in the worst way possible. Spoiler’s ahead.
According to the kids in the movie, the mysterious hand once belonged to a medium, who had their hand severed and then embalmed. It’s now used to conjure spirits.
The Talk To Me Game Explained
The film opens with a party going off the rails when a disturbed young man stabs his brother and himself (in the face) in front of everyone. Before learning their place in the story, we meet Mia and the people in her life, including her best friend’s younger brother Riley (Joe Bird), a good kid. While Mia’s driving Riley down a country road late at night, the two encounter a severely injured kangaroo on the road. Mia’s left with the decision to either put the kangaroo out of its misery or leave it to suffer. She cannot kill it, so she chooses option two.
Mia’s best friend and Riley’s older sister, Jade (Alexandra Jensen), go to a party. Mia’s been struggling to cope with losing her mother, Rhea (Alexandria Steffensen), so she jumps at the first chance for a cheap thrill at the party: the Hand. Whatever spirit possessed Mia wantingly fixated on Riley, likely because it could control younger vessels more easily.
Letting go of the Hand and blowing out the candle ends the possession, but everyone around Mia fails to do that within the 90-second window. Despite this, she loved the experience and didn’t seem possessed after they removed the spirit from her. At this point, the film’s message of codependency and maladaptive coping mechanisms for grief becomes clear. The possession via supernatural spirits is not unlike the experience of drinking liquor (also referred to as spirits) or taking other substances. The camera angle when the teenagers are lighting the candle is reminiscent of “lighting up” certain other substances, as another example.
Riley’s Overdose
Everyone continues playing with the Hand night after night, and Mia loses herself in the good times until the night of Riley’s first possession. Riley’s not taking well to being possessed, but Mia prolongs it because she believes the spirit is Rhea’s. Mia’s grief has been so unbearable that she’s risking her friend’s well-being just for a chance to talk to her mother again.
Whatever Riley lets in nearly kills him by throwing his body around the room. The scene seems to be a gruesome reminder of the bodily, mental, and spiritual harm overdosing poses to anyone using mind-altering substances and those around them.
Riley’s family casts Mia out because they blame her for what happened to him, inadvertently contributing to her downward spiral. Even worse, she’s stolen the Hand and continues using it mostly privately. She believes the ghost she’s connecting to is her mother, despite clues seemingly pointing to the contrary.
Desperate for connection, Mia uses the Hand alone for a chance to see her deceased mother one more time.
Why Did the Struck Kangaroo Return?
What appears to be Rhea’s ghost convinces Mia that Riley’s soul is being tortured in limbo and instructs her to free the boy by killing him. The spirit tricks Mia into stabbing her father in the neck with scissors before she heads to the hospital.
While Mia’s working up the courage at Riley’s bedside to do the evil deed, she sees the kangaroo they saw on the road earlier in the film. The vision reads like an eerie goading from beyond their physical world to put the boy out of his misery.
Mia puts Riley in a wheelchair and kidnaps him from the hospital, taking him to the side of a busy highway. She intends to push him into oncoming traffic until she realizes Rhea’s ghost is a spirit posing as her mother. It possesses Mia, and she ends up severely injured on the road like the kangaroo. However, Mia’s death isn’t the end of her misery.
Mia’s Nightmare Becomes Reality
Mia’s a ghost but doesn’t realize it, so she tries without success in the hospital to talk to those around her. How did she end up here? I imagine Mia was still alive after getting struck on the highway, and she died while the medical support team fought to save her.
Mia can’t see her reflection in a mirror, which is her recurring nightmare made real. Next, Mia finds herself in complete darkness until a faint light appears. A new group of kids is playing with the Hand and Mia’s become part of the game.
Some questions remain, but a Talk To Me sequel is in the works, so we’ll likely understand more about the creepy Hand and its obscure origins soon.
You can watch Talk To Me on VOD or purchase the Blu-ray starting October 3rd, 2023.
Looks like another July will be spent getting cozy with Shudder in this house. Between all the new (to me) international titles and the conclusion of Hell Motel on July 29th, the app has filled my calendar for the month. Hold my texts, keep your emails in the draft folder, and don’t look for me outside. My TV and I are on a mission, and we’re prioritizing the five titles below. I hope they grab your attention and make it into your Shudder viewings this summer as well. However, I’ll be too busy watching them to know what anyone else is doing, so happy streaming whatever you decide to get into.
While we have you here, you should consider joining us for Bloody Brunches! Every Sunday at 11 AM CST / 12 PM EST, we’ll be livestreaming a new episode of Hell Motel. Who know’s who you’ll see, sometimes Ian Carpenter and crew stop by!
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Lake Placid (1999)
A small group of people try to capture a gigantic crocodile terrorizing the people of Black Lake, Maine. I am not an aquatic horror girl, and I am usually unimpressed with 90s action horror titles. I make a special exception for Lake Placid though. Sure, it stars Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, and Oliver Platt. However, real film buffs know that it’s really the late Betty White who carries this movie. Her foul-mouthed character stood on business and is the reason most of us revisit this title during the summer.
You can watch Lake Placid on July 1st.
Nyi Blorong (1982)
The South Sea Queen’s daughter rises to take a human lover. I have a long history of disliking snakes and movies about snakes. However, I’m leaning into this 1982 film because I deserve a retro Indonesian horror fantasy moment. I am also excited because it stars the late Suzzanna, the queen of Indonesian horror. I only learned about her a few years ago and wanted to spend some time with her work. As usual, Shudder is making it too easy to become a better cinephile.
You can watch Nyi Blorong on July 7th.
The Housemaid (2018)
An orphaned girl is hired as a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation in 1953 French Indochina. Once there, she falls in love with the landowner, which sends the ghost of his dead wife into a jealous rage. I was excited to watch this just because it sounds chaotic, and I do not see enough Vietnamese horror for my liking. However, I recently discovered it is also an IFC Midnight title, so now my expectations are through the roof. IFC has been the home of upsetting, weird, and unique horror since 2010. I have a date with Shudder on July 14th, because I want this movie in my eyeballs the second it becomes available.
You can watch The Housemaid on July 14th.
Swallow (2020)
A pregnant housewife is compelled to eat dangerous objects, leading her husband and in-laws to become more controlling. Swallow had the misfortune of debuting during the top of the pandemic, so many people missed it. I found it on accident during Thanksgiving back when Showtime still had its own app. It’s quiet chaos that surprised me in a good way. I have been trying to make everyone I know watch it, and Shudder is making that so much easier this month. I am overdue for a rewatch myself, so I will also be hitting play while it’s available this July.
You can watch Swallow on July 21st.
Monster Island (2024)
A Japanese ship transporting prisoners of war and a British POW are stranded on an island where a mythical creator hunts them. Can they work together now that their very survival depends on it? I was bummed I missed this movie at Overlook Film Fest this year because all my friends loved it. So, obviously, I am thrilled Monster Island (also known as Orang Ikan) is hitting the Shudders streets so soon. I do not know what the other monster movies are doing this July because my heart belongs to this baby.
You can watch Monster Island on July 25th.
So, as usual, I will be hiding in my apartment and trying to make Shudder Saturdays my personality. I’m running at their international titles like it’s my job and revisiting a few movies I never spend enough time with. I hope your Shudder watches spark as much joy for you as I expect mine will this July.
In the 90 years since its release, The Bride of Frankenstein is still the Universal Monsters franchise’s strongest film.
I first watched The Bride of Frankenstein on cable around 15 years ago. Director James Whale’s fable of a misunderstood creature’s quest for a bride really stayed with me after subsequent viewings. Speaking of The Bride, she’s the Universal Monster with the most potential for a gripping and modern reimagining that hasn’t been fully tapped into yet. Universal’s newest theme park Epic Universe, opening back in May, inspired a deeper dive into The Bride of Frankenstein, the titular role and its legacy.
Unveiling The Bride: The Plot and Power of the 1935 Classic
Immediately following 1931’s Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein centers on Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) as the sinister Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) urges him to collaborate on creating a mate for The Monster (Boris Karloff). In the meantime, The Monster travels across the countryside, learns to speak, and meets Pretorius. When both scientists complete and unveil The Bride (Elsa Lanchester), she rejects The Monster, motivating him to pull a lever and famously say, “We belong dead.” Pulling the lever ignites an explosion, killing The Monster, The Bride, and Pretorius.
Just as it took two scientists’ minds to create her onscreen, two individuals gave life to The Bride’s characterization and look: Lanchester and makeup master Jack Pierce, who designed nearly all the original Universal Monsters.
The Bride’s Hiss: How Lanchester Stole the Show with Limited Screentime
The Bride not being the film’s main protagonist is ironic since she’s the title character. Making the most of her brief performance, Lanchester’s swan-like mannerisms as The Bride sharply contrast with the humanity Karloff brings out of The Monster. After her dual role as The Bride and author Mary Shelley herself in the film, Lanchester took on more horror film roles like Henrietta Stiles in Willard (1971). It’s not hard to imagine what could’ve been for her career if she reprised her role in The Bride of Frankenstein’s sequels Son of Frankenstein and Ghost of Frankenstein. If a lab explosion couldn’t kill The Monster, wouldn’t it be the same for The Bride?
Besides the white streaks, Lanchester surprisingly didn’t wear a wig to portray The Bride since Pierce shaped her red hair to look the way it does. Pierce’s work on The Bride is just as iconic if not more so than Lanchester’s performance, ensuring the character became inseparable from her intended suitor in pop culture’s eyes. Case in point: There’s so much officially licensed merchandise playing up a romance between the two characters, even though The Bride can’t stand her intended mate. Beyond Lanchester and Pierce, there is one man responsible for how the film itself would come out.
James Whale’s Masterpiece: Directing The Bride of Frankenstein
Whale stitched great set designs, fantastic performances and composer Franz Waxman’s eerie score together to create a masterpiece.
Having Frankenstein, The Old Dark House and The Invisible Man under his belt by the mid-‘30s, it’s clear Whale creatively peaked while working on The Bride of Frankenstein. Although so much about Whale’s talents has been said, there’s a reason why his work on the film stands out across his filmography: He really went wild when directing it. Every character is practically cartoony, the sets are more elaborate and the plot is thematically richer than the original’s. Being an openly gay filmmaker, he cranked up The Bride of Frankenstein’s camp to legendary heights.
The Bride of Frankenstein is the final horror movie Whale directed. The novel Father of Frankenstein and its film adaptation Gods and Monsters, starring actor Ian McKellen as Whale, dramatize his life after directing the film. According to the reference book Universal Horrors by Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas and John Brunas, he initially didn’t want to direct his horror work’s apex. Just like Henry Frankenstein’s relationship with the monster he created, The Bride of Frankenstein’s production is a case of life imitating art. The Monster’s in-universe infamy further parallels Whale’s Frankenstein duology’s lasting popularity.
How The Bride of Frankenstein Shaped Horror Sequels and Adaptations
The Bride of Frankenstein’s influence can be seen across other horror films and Frankenstein adaptations.
Having “Bride of” in a horror sequel’s title is synonymous with including the main character’s female counterpart, leading to Bride of Re-Animator, Bride of Chucky, etc. The similarities go further than the titles, with The Bride of Frankenstein inspiring the former’s plot and furthering Tiffany’s arc in the latter. The Bride of Frankenstein inevitably shaped Frankenstein’s future adaptations as well.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from 1994 closely follows the original novel. Breaking away from the novel’s narrative, its third act pays homage to The Bride of Frankenstein when Victor brings Elizabeth back to life with similarly brief screentime. Mia Goth’s seemingly red hair on the set of Guillermo Del Toro’s upcoming Frankenstein may hint at her character similarly becoming The Bride.
The Bride’s Untapped Potential for a Modern Horror Remake
With Warner Bros. releasing its own take on the character with The Bride! in 2026, it makes Universal’s reluctance to make a new remake downright egregious.
The Bride is still the literally redheaded stepchild among the Universal Monsters. When it comes to being neglected by Universal, The Creature From the Black Lagoon is the only character who rivals The Bride, but that’s another story. Universal did plan a remake directed by Bill Condon, who helmed Gods and Monsters, for its aborted Dark Universe film franchise.
The Bride’s Absence in Epic Universe’s Monsters Unchained Ride
Looking at Epic Universe, the Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride apparently leaves The Bride out, even though she makes more sense to be in it than The Phantom of the Opera. However, The Bride does make meet-and-greet appearances across Dark Universe’s grounds.
Several ideas can be incredible for when Universal finally releases a remake of The Bride of Frankenstein someday. Based on what I’ve heard about 2023’s Poor Things, it’s exploration of a mad scientist’s creation’s experiences in a restrictive society is closer to what a modern reimagining should be. Having a woman behind the camera can lead to a feminist vision, delving into The Bride questioning her life’s purpose.
Until the day a proper remake debuts, the original 1935 film remains The Bride of Frankenstein’s definitive incarnation.
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