LIKES:

The Pace/time of the movie -It's dark material and it has a lot of thought, so a compact time limit helps weather the dark storm for this reviewer.

-Talk to me takes the gas and give it all with the right momentum to keep things interesting, but never dipping into the too heavy a territory to get boring or typical.

-And keeping that pace helps to blunt some of the elevated thoughts that A24 sometimes gets stuck with.

The Film Filters: -A horror movie is only as good as the feeling it establishes, and in this case Talk To Me is a winner.

-The film is shot in this grey filter, dreary, depressing, and haunting that works perfectly with the material they are presenting.

-It helps add this ambience of the looming horror, but also contributes to the psych issues that come with it as well, really amplifying the true scare facto of this movie.

-And then taking into account the cinematography, the movie just hits all the right shots to sell the story and leave you with a sense of unease when it is all done.

The Makeup/Visuals: -A good movie requires good support of costumes and makeup to make the creatures come out and memorable.

-The spirits of this world are horrifying. Maybe not to the traditional Insidious like demons and maladies, but this one takes the realism and really conveys the gross state of decay that these beings are in.

-Certain moments really convey that horrible mode, and I can't help but appreciate the nightmare inducing images that these ghosts are. A true A24 vision brought to life.

-But even the injuries that occur have this authenticity to it, and the seizure modes are animalistic and unnatural that are realistic to a level beyond our understanding.

Acting: -It's not the best performance or most unique, but damn can these young actors act.

-Talk to me takes the teenager spirit and takes it to a level that was relevant, deeper, and yet the typical fodder you find in these movies.

-I won't mention most of the first billed, because their part in this movie is limited, but they play the parts well and convey the message of this story.

-Sophie Wilde is the lead I'll talk about. The Australian actress has her niche in the horror world, and does it so good. She's got a vulnerability that works well, but this attitude that helps balance it, leading to an impressive character to follow.





-The cast works together so well, and this frightened band of teenagers gives you some hopes, but some concern as they continue to solve the mystery at hand.

The Story: -It's predictable at times, but the unique aspect of the Monkey's paw so to speak works as a medium that really helps ground, but mesh the two well.

-Talk to Me uses this simplistic device to elevate, and by having such a closed portal keeps the film's antagonist delivering, while also helping hit other parts of the movie quite well.

-Outside of the usual specters of ghost stories, this movie does the internal antagonism well, a constant battle of struggling to determine what is going on with them.

-Add some touching moments, a little character struggle, and some actual realistic approaches and mix it with the haunting element, and again you have a victory for me in this department.

-The movie really makes this ghost story feel terrifying to that degree, not so much in the jumping and scaring tactics, but more so in the unsettling ease that that goes with it.

The Ending: -I won't spoil anything, but Talk to Me is one of those that does an elevated horror ending quite well at least in terms of some balance.

-One level it's a metaphor with great use of theatrical elements. A piece that holds so many levels of moral battling that it leave it a bit ambiguous as to what will happen up until the decision.

-Then you get the story elements and the symbology that it serves, not so lost in the art to be open ended and super vague to give you closure, and a closure that leave an imprint in your mind.

-It all comes down to being a fitting ending and I like that in a movie that can handle art and storytelling and find middle ground, which I felt it did.

Dislikes:

Predictable: -I had most of the movie down pretty quickly, so I anticipate others might be able to figure out where the movie is going.

-A few twists help try to throw you aside, but I found that most of the foreshadowing in the first thirty minutes should give you enough to determine the ending.

Perhaps a Bit Too Dark?

-A24 should have a warning for most of its films in that the darkness may be too much for many people, including parts of myself.

-One part is the sheer horror and realism, with vibes that go down perhaps too personal of levels, so caution if you are prone to PTSD with realistic events.

-Second, A24's desire to put people in the nude that aren't the most stunning is still prevalent and that did little for me other than stir my nausea.

-Third the movie has one moment that makes no sense until the end, but there was so much better use than once more sowing me an animal needlessly suffering. Dragging it out, adding little use, there were better ways to accomplish it.

-And crossing my rules of boundaries, I don't enjoy that, so it loses points for me.

More character development: -Simply put, the movie starts off well, but the other characters could have worked better to help the others. Maybe add a little more attempts to discern the mental quality and finish polishing things up.

-Great characters could have been more, but then that would have taken more time and more time dwelling in the dark might not have been good given how this movie might leave people feeling.

The VERDICT: Talk to me is a weird movie, but it lives to the usual caliber of A24 in elevating a movie series to a new level to help add freshness to the movie. Or something like that. The movie works in establishing creepy feelings, horror that sticks with you and a story that will certainly remain ingrained in the mind. It takes the familiar genre and helps condense the horrors to a logical plot, while exploring character traits that help mix up things while still feeling familiar. With a talented cast, characters who are a tad more developed, and elements that blend together to be a real horror movie, it certainly does stick out as one of the more unique and disturbing horror movies of the bunch. However, more time with the characters, a little more mystery and involvement to help mix things up, ad toning back some of the more disturbing elements could have helped this movie more to really be the wow factor they were shooting with this movie. Thus, my review leaves a score of:

Horror/Thriller: 8.0 Movie Overall: 7.0.