Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson calls new horror film "the best he's seen in years"

Peter Jackson is a big fan of Talk to Me. The Lord of the Rings director gushed about the new Aussie horror in a statement to Ahi Films (via Newshub) recently, describing Michael and Danny Philippou's feature-length debut as "relentlessly scary and disturbing – in the best possible way."

"Talk to Me isn't just good – it's very very good. The best, most intense, horror movie I've enjoyed in years," New Zealand-born filmmaker Jackson, who started out in comedy horror before diving into the world of orcs and elves, said. Jackson's not the only one raving about the movie, either; Steven Spielberg, Ari Aster, Jordan Peele and George Miller have all praised it over the last few weeks.

Starring Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, and Sophie Wilde, Talk to Me centers on grief-stricken Mia, who gets involved with a bunch of séance-addicted teens. With the help of a mysterious embalmed hand, the youngsters Things take a terrible turn, though, when one of the group seemingly channels Mia's late mother – and they forget to stick to the strict safety rules of conversing with the dead. 

Since releasing in UK and US cinemas on July 28, the flick, which cost $4.5 million to make, has earned $36.5 million at the global box office. It's hardly surprising, then, that A24 announced a sequel is officially on the way on August 8.

"When we were writing the first film, we couldn't help but write scenes for a sequel as well," Danny previously told GamesRadar+. "Our bible on the movie is so extensive. We've got this massive mythology bible where we broke down every single spirit that the kids connected with, every single rule, every single part of the hand, and the history behind it. There's so much to explore."

Talk to Me is in cinemas now. For more, check out our chat with Michael and Danny Philippou, or our list of upcoming horror movies heading our way.