Of late, Blumhouse has delivered some fascinating and incredibly entertaining slasher movies unlike pretty much anything in the subgenre before. Movies like Happy Death Day and Freaky quickly garnered much praise from critics and audiences, both lauding the creativity, performances, and energy of both movies. Now, keeping up Blumhouse’s exceptional slasher movie streak is Prime Video’s Totally Killer, a time travel slasher movie that takes audiences back to the ’80s.
If you loved either Happy Day Death, The Belko Experiment, Get Out, or especially Freaky, which is written by the same person, then Totally Killer will certainly tickle that fun, nostalgic, and vibrant slasher movie itch. This horror-comedy offers a captivating premise with gut-busting humor and some very self-aware and clever writing. The film’s supported by a great cast who all give delightful performances, elevating the already highly entertaining movie. Totally Killer is best and easily summed up by saying it’s Halloween meets Back to the Future. A high compliment indeed.
Although Totally Killer is a ton of fun and will undoubtedly find a strong fan base, it does have the same issues which have similarly plagued Blumhouse’s previous slasher movies. If you think about it, the consistent problem with these films is simple — the slasher movie villain isn’t particularly that memorable, especially compared to the likes of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Ghostface, or Freddy Krueger. Likewise, this particular film’s kills and deaths aren’t particularly that memorable or unique, either.
Time Machines and Serial Killers
35 years after the horrific murder of three 16-year-old teenagers, an infamous murderer named The Sweet 16 Killer returns on Halloween night to continue his spree. Jamie (Wildflower‘s Kiernan Shipka) is now in the killer’s sights after her mother (Julie Bowen) is made a new victim Her best friend, Amelia (Kelcey Mawema), builds a time machine out of an old photo booth based on the designs and concepts of her mother, in order to send Jamie back to 1987 to stop the Sweet 16 Killer, and hopefully prevent her mother from ever getting killed.
The killer soon finds and attacks Jamie, but after a failed attempt the two get trapped in the time machine and Jamie gets sent back to 1987, where she must face the killer once again and hopefully save the three teenagers that were murdered at the time. In order to go back to the present, Jamie must fix the time machine by any means necessary, even if it means working with her teenage mother to take down the killer.
A Nonsensical but Energized Slasher
2023 has seen several great slasher movies. From the hit Scream VI and the hilarious The Blackening, to the absurd Slotherhouse, 2023 has delivered a surprising amount of exceptional slasher movies, and Totally Killer may be one of the best. It’s a ton of fun, offering up a captivating premise, an engaging mystery, tons of humor, and an exceptional cast, with the likes of Kiernan Shipka, Julie Bowen, Olivia Holt, Lochlyn Munro, and Randall Park shining among its cast.
A time travel slasher movie is certainly reminiscent of the Happy Death Day films, but they were more focused on a cyclical Groundhog Day style of time warp, rather than the more Back to the Future style, traditional linear time travel of Totally Killer. The sci-fi gimmick and machine is a little jarring, as it does come out of nowhere, but the movie’s energy allows us to instantly forgive the fact that Jaime’s best friend somehow builds a time machine to specifically send Jaime back to the past to prevent her mom’s death. It’s nonsense, but it works.
Endless Pop Culture References and Time Travel Anecdotes
As with many time travel movies, Totally Killer is full of pop culture references galore. Throughout the film, characters will often refer to movies like Back to the Future and Scream, and is full of a lot of Molly Ringwald references, whether its characters dressed up as her most iconic characters, or with the killer being labeled as The Sweet 16 Killer. Similarly, the movie briefly talks about Avengers: Endgame, which will certainly get a pop from many audiences.
With Totally Killer being mostly set in the ’80s, the movie made way for some fun time travel related anecdotes. For one, a teenage Lauren (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson), who is Amelia’s mother in the future, thinks that Jamie’s smartphone was the time machine. On top of that, the film deals with a ton of the problematic issues that plagued the ’80s, such as the misogyny and racism of the time that are the butt of many jokes. For example, in 2022, the school’s mascot is a devil, due to the school’s name, Vernon Red Devils. However, in 1987, their mascot is just an Indigenous person. Similarly, see the minor male character wearing a T-shirt that reads FBI: Female Body Inspector. Jamie calls that one out. Go on, girl.
Totally Killer is incredibly self-referential. As previously mentioned, the film boasts many pop culture references and mentions of many time travel movies, which the film at times takes shots at. For example, Randall Park mentions that he hates time travel movies, as they make no sense, which is true for Totally Killer. Thankfully, Totally Killer never attempts to explain its logic too much.
A Forgettable Villain with Lackluster Kills
Totally Killer is very entertaining, but it does have its flaws. For a slasher movie, it should really boast some creative and memorable kills, but it sadly doesn’t. The moments leading up the kills are kind of cool (or at least bizarre), as many of the characters seem to know karate and put up a great fight against the Sweet 16 Killer, but the end result is sadly disappointing.
Similarly, the film’s antagonist, The Sweet 16 Killer, isn’t that memorable, and won’t be used for any Halloween costumes any time soon. At least not a particularly popular one. Can you name the killer from Freaky, Happy Death Day, or really any other Blumhouse film? No? That’s kjind of an issue. They’re all vague and unforgettable, and that trend continues with Totally Killer, despite there being ample opportunity for the killer to distinguish themselves from the anonymous hordes of horror villains. Oh well, at least it’s delightfully funny, filled with great characters, and founded on a fun premise.
Totally killer is now streaming on Prime Video.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
