Thanks to A24 horror fans won’t have to wait until October for the next horror film of the year to come around. “Talk to Me” has been getting a lot a buzz since its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou (best known for their massively popular YouTube channel RackaRacka), this supernatural chiller leans on several familiar tropes yet has just enough of its own flavor to get by.

“Talk to Me” may have a small budget ($4.5 million to be exact), but it’s what the Philippou’s do within those constraints that’s so impressive. There aren’t a ton of special effects and what we get are predominately practical. But they’re also extremely effective and show how smart and crafty filmmakers can do a lot with a little. Equally impressive are three key performances from what amounts to a mostly inexperienced cast. More on them in a second.

The writing is more of a mixed bag. The story itself is inherently silly which is part of the fun. But it’s hard to overlook the gaping holes in logic. Dumb nurses, even dumber cops, shallow teen “friends” who no one in their right mind would hang out with – they all add quite a bit of head-scratching to the proceedings. But the brothers are shrewd in their presentation and it’s hard not to get sucked into the scenario they envision (even if much about it feels familiar).

The story follows a group of thrill-seeking high school friends who learn how to conjure up the dead through a ceramic-covered embalmed hand (yep, you read that right). As you can probably figure out, they soon go too far with their new favorite party game and accidentally open a gate that allows some truly malevolent spirits to cross over. Horror hijinks ensue.

While that may sound ridiculous (probably because it is), the Philippou brothers maintain a serious tone (with one pretty hilarious exception that I won’t spoil). It works well in large part thanks to their ability to not only build tension but sustain it. It’s also helped by the three central characters and the strong performances behind them, Mia (Sophie Wilde), Jade (Alexandra Jensen), and Riley (Joe Bird).

We first meet 17-year-old Mia on the two-year anniversary of her mother’s suicide. Not only is she still struggling with the loss, but it has put a strain on her relationship with her father (Marcus Johnson). But she has found comfort in the family of her best friend Jade. Along with Jade’s 15-year-old brother Riley, the three have formed a strong sibling bond that has helped Mia cope. A lot of attention is given to the trio with their relationships being a crucial part of the story. All three are well-conceived characters as is Miranda Otto as Jade and Riley’s mom – not quite as fleshed out but a great fit and a lot of fun.

Not all the characters fare as well with the worst being Haley (Zoe Terakes) and Joss (Chris Alosio) – the annoying one-dimensional dime-a-dozen horror genre “friends” who have populated countless horror movies over the years. Still, there’s enough good stuff in the film to hold our interest and the movie steadily generates a palpable sense of unease that culminates in a handful of genuinely chilling scenes and one cracking ending that makes the film’s frustrations a little easier to digest. “Talk to Me” is out now in theaters.

VERDICT – 3 STARS