Totally Killer is an entertaining genre mashup. It wears its influences on its sleeve, but it has enough wit and heart to stand out from the pack. Director Nahnatchka Khan and editor Jeremy Cohen give the film a snappy rhythm that allows its screwball dialogue and sight gags to fully shine. Kiernan Shipka makes for a wry protagonist, and the movie avoids the trap of taking itself too seriously.
A Spoof of Slasher Movies
Totally Killer is a spoof of the slasher genre that makes the most of its cliches and tropes. Its screenwriters, including David Mantalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D’Angelo, poke fun at classics like Back to the Future and Halloween while making surprisingly solid use of the slasher cliches themselves. Its plot may be a bit lazy and predictable, but it’s also ruthlessly enjoyable.
The story of Totally Killer begins with Jamie Hughes (Kiernan Shipka), a modern teen who begs her overprotective mother Pam to let her go out on Halloween night. However, the night turns deadly when the Sweet Sixteen Killer arrives to claim another victim.
In the era of overabundant reboots and remakes, Totally Killer is a welcome breath of fresh air that embraces its silliness. The film doesn’t bother to maintain a high level of internal logic, instead opting for fish-out-of-water jokes and culture clash gags that earn big laughs. Shipka’s progressive Gen Zer is aghast at the horny, reckless social mores of 1987, which opens the door for many hilarious moments of culture shock.
This lighthearted romp through the horror sub-genre is a fun time out with friends. Its climactic showdown on a spinning fairground ride is as inventive as it is entertaining. And its clever self-referential references to its inspirations give it an extra helping of glee.
A Horror Comedy
Totally Killer is a light-on-its-feet movie with a lot of heart. Its throbbing heart is the irrepressible Kiernan Shipka, who can do both goofy broad comedy and gritty character drama with equal ease. Her performance in Totally Killer is a perfect example. The ibomma telugu movies‘ story and cheap-as-anyone-would-like aesthetic might inspire low expectations, but it still manages to entertain for 105 minutes.
The story begins in North Vernon, a small town that was terrorized by a masked serial killer decades ago. When a tongue-in-cheek true crime podcast reveals that the town’s dark past will come back to haunt its present inhabitants, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) becomes involved in a mystery that is both funny and frightening.
While the film doesn’t quite reach the heights of 2015’s The Final Girls, it is an enjoyable romp that offers plenty of bloody mayhem and laugh-out-loud gags. The filmmakers clearly know how silly their movie is, which helps it to work as well as it does.
The film’s biggest strength is that it pays homage to classic horror and time-travel movies like Back to the Future, Scream, and Halloween. It also incorporates several tropes of its own, including a cabin in the woods and masked psychopaths chasing teenagers down the street. The cast is also surprisingly strong and the script has plenty of clever jokes about the differences between Gen X and Gen Z.
A Time Travel Movie
Totally Killer is an entertaining, campy time travel horror comedy that elicits the nostalgia of its target audience. While it doesn’t make as many hair-raising shocks as the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, this movie delivers enough blood-pumping laughs and Reagan-era throwbacks to keep its teen viewers entertained. It also tackles some of the problematic issues that arose in the ’80s, such as misogyny and racism.
The film’s premise is reminiscent of Back to the Future and other slasher franchises, but it doesn’t try to replicate those movies without success. The acting is great and Shipka is excellent as the wry observer of her own situation. Her self-aware humor and love for the era are a welcome departure from her more spooky roles on television.
Nahnatchka Khan’s script doesn’t shy away from the sexism and racism of the ’80s, but these moments are more subtle than most. They’re often delivered in scenes involving Jamie and her peers. For instance, she’s forced to interact with the school’s token jock and is humiliated by his obnoxious behavior.
Totally Killer isn’t the next Halloween or Scream classic, but it has enough humor and creativity to make it worth your time. The mashup of slasher tropes and time travel shenanigans may not be original, but it’s fun to watch and perfect for a spooky season night in.
A Halloween Movie
The premise of Totally Killer sounds like a disaster, but the film actually comes together as a fun homage to the genre. It doesn’t rely on cheap laughs or sight gags, and the performances are perfectly pitched. Kiernan Shipka is one of the most gifted actresses of her generation, and she delivers the kind of natural comedy that makes a movie feel special. The script isn’t witty, but it understands the genre and knows how to play with its rules.
It also avoids the trap that many horror movies fall into by overplaying racial or sexual insensitivity. Adding time travel to the mix helps keep things fresh, and the film delivers a few good scares along the way. The ending is predictable, but it’s still satisfying to see all the plot reveals come together.
The film was directed and co-written by Nahnatchka Khan, who has worked on several hit shows including “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Young Rock.” She is also a producer on the show. She has a real artistic personality that suits the film’s B-movie energy, and she manages to make the most of her talented cast. The film also stars Lochlyn Munro, Charlie Gillespie, Anna Diaz, Stephi Chin-Salvo, Kelcey Mawema, and Jeremy Monn-Djasgnar. Jason Blum, Adam Hendricks, and Greg Gilreath produced the movie. It will premiere on Amazon Prime Video this October.
