"Talk to Me" follows a group of Adelaide teenagers who wind up in a supernatural vortex after playing a seance-adjacent party game; one that involves communicating with spirits via a mysterious ceramic-encased hand that allegedly belonged to a medium. Bad things happen, of course.

This Australian effort is a slick and engrossing horror film from the Philippous (better known as RackaRacka), a pair of twin brother YouTubers who gained fame for their stunt and hijinx videos, but make no bones about it--both of them clearly know the genre, and perhaps more importantly, possess the skill to craft a feature that runs a slow, dread-inducing descent.

The setup here is arbitrary at best, and takes heavy notes from films like "The Evil Dead" and "The Exorcist", but it uses its references wisely while still offering something different and gripping. The central protagonist, Mia, has a grim backstory that drives her interest in partaking in this paranormal parlor trick, to her own detriment. Her best friend, Jade, and Jade's younger brother, Riley, become enveloped in the mayhem that ensues after, leaving utter devastation in its wake.

Unlike in a number of horror films, "Talk to Me" treats its teenage characters with a sense of realism rather than sketching them as pure archetypes, and its approach to the theme of grief never fully overrides the paranormal threat lurking at the center of the story. The performances here are uniformly commendable from all involved, especially from Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, and Miranda Otto.

Perhaps more than anything, though, "Talk to Me" succeeds because it is smartly plotted and maintains a constant sense of dread that is unshakeable. Even amidst its most unbelievable and oddball elements, there is just enough human gravitas to keep you entrenched in a state where it seems anything could happen--and probably for the worst. 8/10.