Talk to Me: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated R for strong/bloody violent content, some sexual material and language throughout.
A frightening, bloody Australian horror film for older teens, and a hard one for anyone dealing with grief, suicide or self-harm. Teens chase thrills with a viral party game, using an embalmed hand to let spirits possess them for 90 seconds, until it goes wrong. The grieving 17-year-old heroine's mother died of a pill overdose that is revealed as suicide, and a possessed 14-year-old boy repeatedly smashes his own face in brutal, bloody scenes. Expect 30-plus f-words, a c-word, crude sexual behavior from possessed teens, brief ritual nudity, and teen drinking and smoking. Sixteen fits the gore and heavy themes.
What's in it
Violence
StrongOpens with a young man stabbing his brother and then himself. A possessed boy repeatedly slams his face into a table and a wall, claws at his eye and laps up his own blood. A neck stabbing with scissors and a fatal road accident follow.
Language
StrongPlugged In counted at least 30 f-words and about 15 s-words, and the BBFC noted the c-word, along with 'pussy,' 'prick,' 'bitch' and 'bastard.'
Sex and nudity
ModeratePossessed teens act out crude sexual behavior, including simulated arousal while strapped to a chair and French-kissing a dog. There is explicit sexual talk, references to oral sex, and brief topless nudity in a ritual setting.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateTeens drink beer and smoke cigarettes at unsupervised parties, an older teen admits trying marijuana once, and a 14-year-old is tempted by a cigarette. A mother's death from a sleeping-pill overdose is central backstory.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongProlonged possession scenes with blackened eyes and rotting, corpse-like spirits, and a dead mother's voice used to manipulate her daughter. A flashback shows the mother's body being found, teen characters die, and a bleeding kangaroo lies injured on a dark road.
Sensitive topics
- Suicide
- Self-harm
- Death of a parent
- Overdose
- Death of a child
Worth talking about
The teens film each other's possessions for social media. Talk about peer pressure and risky viral challenges, and how grief can make someone reach for anything that promises a way back to a lost parent.
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Plugged In, bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia, the MPA, Common Sense Media. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.