Perhaps the surprise of the summer, "Talk to Me" is the best horror movie released so far in 2023 - which is somewhat of a shock for me to say. Though I had high hopes due to the A24 production label, I do have to say that most horror films nowadays have disappointed me due to their lack of originality and uninspired, formulaic structure. And while "Talk to Me" isn't the most original film out there, it is certainly inspired, leading to an appropriately creepy and shockingly disturbing film that is equally as scary as it is fun.

From the beginning, "Talk to Me" brings the energy with a kinetic opening sequence taking place at a house party; music blares as a man makes his way through partygoers, pushing, shoving, and otherwise stopping at nothing to find whatever, or whoever, he is looking for. Tension builds, horror creeps in, and combined with a surprising finale to this bombastic introduction, the start is fittingly entertaining and sets the tone for what's to come. And what is to come? A really smooth combination of horror and entertainment-value.

You see, "Talk to Me" is scary, but not in a jump-scare sort of way. In fact, I don't recall any real jump-scares in this movie besides one - and I was sober while watching this, so my recall is in tip-top shape (though I can't promise that I'm sober while writing this review). "Talk to Me" builds tension through its slick visual style, bursts of shocking violence, and in what it chooses to show - and not show - its viewers. For example, there are sequences where characters engage in the occult ritual that are frightening because the movie decides to depict what supernatural elements are at play; even more terrifying, however, are the ritual sequences that may not depict exactly what is going on, leaving it all up to your imagination to fill in the blanks. It's extremely effective and had me literally biting my nails. And as I mentioned, there is some violence in this film; usually blood and gore doesn't scare me, but in "Talk to Me," the violence was so unexpected and graphic that at points I had to look away from the screen due to the visceral nature of what was occurring. And it's been some time since violence scared me, and it's been some time since I was forced to peek thru my fingers at a film - so I consider this a huge plus.

"Talk to Me" is also elevated by the writing, acting, and character development at play here; what I really enjoyed about this movie is just how entertaining and likable each and every one of the characters were, even if they weren't exactly the best of people, if that makes sense. Like, I recognize that some characters are jerks, and cause nothing but trouble wherever they go - however, the way they were played by the actors, and their lines of dialogue and all around development, had me smiling from ear to ear due to how much fun I had watching them interact. The writing is also really clever, with some fun party-going sequences that counteract against the horror, and characters that talk and act like real people. Both the actors in front of the camera, and the talent behind the camera, seemed to be really inspired while making this movie, and it shows - no one is not taking it seriously, and there's a lack of cringe-worthy elements that so many modern day horror movies have.

I honestly really enjoyed this movie, and the more I think about it, the more I like it; in fact, I can't really think of any negatives, except that perhaps the pacing isn't quite as tight as I wanted it to be. Other than that, there's so much to enjoy here that I bumped up my original score from an 8 to a 9. "Talk to Me" is fun, it's scary, it's disturbing, and it's everything you could want from a horror film.