In the new horror film “Talk to Me,” Mia (Sophia Wilde) grapples with feelings of grief and emotional isolation from her peers when she’s drawn into a series of seances by her peer group that quickly reveal themselves to be no laughing matter.
Brothers and first-time feature directors Michael and Danny Philippou originally established themselves on their YouTube channel RackaRacka, serving up maniacally gory and irreverent short films that give a good idea of what can be expected from the later parts of “Talk to Me.” If any audience member holds an aversion to extreme bodily harm that doesn’t discriminate by its victim’s age group, this film marks an exceptionally hazardous watch, even though it never reaches the heights of depravity of old RackaRacka videos.
The violence isn’t the only thing carried over from their YouTube days, as the Philippous build up to the film’s chaos by following a group of terminally online teenagers whose mannerisms and attitudes manifest from the internet culture the brothers have engaged with since 2013. As a result, a clear sense of affection and worry grows around the main cast that feels very genuine, adding a layer of creeping dread to the slow shift from reckless teenage partying to depressive isolation and grueling terror.
The escalation of events comes together very smoothly with a focus on showing vignettes from various perspectives until they all give way to exclusively Mia’s point of view. This helps give the metaphorical illustrations of ideas about drug addiction and its emotional roots time to develop naturally but not glacially.
The familial dynamic Mia shares with friends Jade (Alexandra Jensen) and Riley (Joe Bird) in particular gives a clear emotional throughline for the audience to connect to, which becomes painful to watch as the seances turn the friends’ love for each other against them. Additionally, the devastation dominating Mia’s life from the beginning of the film only grows in severity as things continue to fall apart, allowing the film to work as a gruesome tragedy masquerading as a teen horror until it pulls the rug out.
By the time “Talk to Me” drags its audience across the finish line, both the extreme violence (that’s admittedly restrained by Philippou standards) and depressing story hold a significant bite to them that doesn’t need to rely on the overly dour, self-important approach that other modern horror films can default to in order to appear “serious.” It’s not exactly an easy summer watch, but it boasts a sturdy dramatic arc and viscera guaranteed to elicit some squeals, holding a strong claim to be considered the best horror film of the summer so far.
4 broken skulls out of 5
