Probably the most genuinely horrifying and harrowing cinematic experience i've ever had. I love horror movies, but for 90 agonizing minutes i was anxiously on edge, periodically actively focusing on bringing my heart rate to manageable levels.

TTM's haunting, sometimes truly disturbing moments of brutal violence never stoop to nihilism. Familiar genre elements are twisted with a masterfully dark and modern touch. It has a lot to say, its themes spanning trust and communication, social media and high school, addiction and vulnerability, trauma and denial, a refusal sometimes to come to terms with tragedy and the consequences of engaging with a world that provides an easy if temporary escape from dealing with it. The film keeps two fingers on a strong moral pulse beneath its surface thrills, trusting the audience to understand without moralizing or patronizing with over-exposition.

The only other times i've felt this way in the theater were during occasional scenes in films like annihilation & hereditary, as well as the opening sequence of midsommar. Talk to Me strikes an deeper visceral chord than any of these very high caliber films, and from its opening cut all the way through the full circle culmination it never once lets up for even a moment. This is a mean, lean ordeal with relentless pacing that never feels rushed.. This is horror filmmaking of the highest order, and not an experience i'll soon forget. Fair warning: It's a heady mix, not your father's horror, not a gateway horror hit: I recommend it to only the most ardent of my horror appreciating friends because although ultimately it's an immensely rewarding journey it is no easy trip.