From the genuinely unsettling opening to the excellently chilling ending, "Talk to Me" is a nightmarish indie horror and marks a proficient debut feature for directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou. 

Chasing a new online craze, Mia and her friends, siblings Jade and Riley, join in a séance to conjure spirits from the great unknown. Grasping a mysterious embalmed hand, asking the spirits to "talk to me," and subsequently uttering, "I let you in," they invite the spirits to take over their bodies for brief stints. Though they've been warned not to sustain prolonged contact, the teenagers continue to push the boundaries, seemingly chasing an adrenaline rush or perhaps an actual physical high from the experience.

The film builds some fascinating lore around the seance/possession but also infuses some uncertainty into exactly how it all works. The "rules" the teens adhere to are vague and only learned third or fourth hand. The consequences of breaking these rules aren't clear and aren't necessarily made more explicit by the end of the film. But while some viewers may find this muddled handling of the lore frustrating, it kept me guessing until the end. 

Sophie Wilde is stellar as Mia, who provides the needed impetus for extended contact with the dead. Her mother had passed away tragically almost exactly one year prior under somewhat unknown circumstances, and the thought of being able to commune with her is all too enticing. The supporting cast is excellent as well. My favorite is Miranda Otto, who portrays Jade and Riley's mom. She provides the few needed moments of comic relief. Her attempts to suss out whether her kids were planning a party while she was out were hilariously spot on. The comical moments are welcome because though the film isn't incessantly gorey, there are a few extremely gruesome moments efficaciously spread throughout the runtime. The violent scenes even garnered a few walkouts in my screening. I think the fact that the violence is inflicted on a very young teen also adds to the unsettling nature of the horrors. I enjoyed the violent aspect, but it does warrant some caution if you're sensitive to depictions of violence. I can't say enough good things about "Talk to Me". I highly recommend it to the horror fans out there and I hope there's more to come from Danny and Michael Philippou. 

— 4.5 / 5 ⭐