We interrupt your (ir)regularly scheduled programming of Children of the Corn parts seven through eleven (though technically two of those are remakes/reboots) for the first authentic gem(s) of this year's Unseen Terror! Don't worry, those crazy kids in Gatlin will unfortunately return sometime soon. I can't hide from my problems forever. Anyways, let's talk about how great Totally Killer is.
Horror films with time travel as an integral part of the plot aren't the most common of things to find, but when you do stumble upon them, they're often a hoot and can put the biggest smile on your face. Totally Killer, which recently dropped on Amazon Prime, is the nurtured child of Back to the Future and Happy Death Day. It's also the second full-length film from director Nahnatchka Khan (sister of WWE President and co-CEO Nick Khan!), whose prior film Always Be My Maybe is a very charming little rom-com that I feel like was somewhat overlooked because it was dropped onto Netflix without a large amount of fanfare. Releasing this project during the month of Halloween is a much wiser decision than just randomly dropping it during some holiday weekend/month that you weren't even sure existed. The plot follows a young woman named Jamie (played excellently by Kiernan Shipka of Mad Men and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fame) who after witnessing the aftermath of her mother's murder via an old town legend simply known as the "Sweet Sixteen Killer," is sent back in time to the year 1987. With her knowledge of the murderer and their history, she attempts to stop the slayings before they begin, all while trying not to tamper with younger versions of the people she knew in 2022.
To say that Totally Killer is wearing its influences on its sleeves is putting it very lightly. The film explicitly namedrops features (and inspirations) such as Back to the Future and even Scream, but it never feels gratuitous or makes you wish you were watching those instead. It does feel genuine and makes for a breezy watch. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent casting choices here. We've got the aforementioned Shipka, but we also get a wonderful appearance from Randall Park (previously seen in director Khan's Always Be My Maybe) who just has such brilliant comedic timing. Hell, even snagging both Julie Bowen (Modern Family, Happy Gilmore) and Olivia Holt (Cloak & Dagger, Cruel Summer) to play the older and younger versions of Jamie's mother is a clever choice. Truth be told, everyone has great body language and only adds to the fun factor. The best horror-comedies are so respected not just because of the script, but how committed the cast is to making all of the jokes land. While the cast is certainly exceptional, there are times when the film itself can become a little lost or confusing. Cutting out a couple of characters here and there (and I don't mean via waterbed kill like this does......that scene kinda rocks though) could have helped things feel a little less confusing, and the ending twist does feel a bit predictable if you were paying enough attention to small details. Still, that's time travel for you. It's a fascinating headache when you try to explain it or make full sense of it.
I'd actually recommend this as a solid watch for families who are more "open-minded" than usual. If you and your kid(s) are able to bond over a shared love of horror cinema or love to wax poetic about decadent decades, this makes for a very entertaining watch. I definitely think it will play well to the "Gen Z" and "Millennial" crowds as there are a lot of jokes scattered throughout about how drastically things have changed over the course of several decades (and even how drug quality has increased over the course of 35 years). If that poster doesn't give it away, Totally Killer is available to stream on Prime, and if things go right, hopefully it'll see a physical release sometime in the near future.
Before you jump on me and attempt to strangle me with own innards, no, I did not get a chance to see 2023's surprise hit M3GAN until this month. I have barely gotten the chance to head to a cinema proper due to circumstances beyond my control (health and car issues pretty much nullified any chance I had to see ANYTHING that was released during the summer movie season). If it makes you feel any better, I DID manage to see it now, and it was the "Unrated" cut too for that matter. So please, loosen your grip and let me talk about M3GAN, okay?
With how shockingly successful this flick ended up being, I feel like the basis of the plot is already fairly well-known (I'll try to condense it anyway though). A robotics engineer designs a lifelike doll with artificial intelligence to act as a companion for her recently orphaned niece, but the doll begins to show self-awareness and begins exhibiting signs of overprotection. The plot is somewhat similar to that of the 2019 Child's Play remake, and once the end credits on this were rolling, I kept thinking that the two movies could make for a bloody, goofy double feature if the option was available. The difference between the two though I believe comes in not just how "scary" you can try and make your film, but about what kind of substance is there beyond the simple, increasing body count. There is an unexpectedly tough tackling of trauma and loss that I feel like just wasn't fully present in 2019's Child's Play, and while there are times when perhaps you may find yourself irritated by some of the characters and their actions, consider what a terrible and bizarre situation they've all been suddenly thrust into. Both also tackle consumerism, corporate greed, and the utter ridiculous misuse of scientific discoveries, but I feel as though this wasn't quite as subtle as I would have liked it to be. Paul Verhoeven this ain't, but not everything needs to be.
The cast is all very solid (more Allison Williams in horror films please and thank you), but the obvious standout has to be young New Zealand actress Amie Donald. She plays the physical version of our titular antagonist, and while her head is a prosthetic, all of her strange body twists and movements come from Donald herself, who spent many years as a dancer and reportedly holds a brown belt in karate. It's a great physical performance that elevates the movie quite nicely. Did I mention that she's only ten years old too? This kid has a bright future in cinema should she choose to pursue this acting thing a bit more.
The critical and commercial success of M3GAN came as a complete surprise and was spread via word of mouth rather quickly, so I'm not sure I can add much more to the conversation. It's campy fun with some genuinely sweet moments, and if you have access to Amazon Prime, fire up the "Unrated" cut and enjoy the show. I truly wish I was able to catch this in a theater when I had the chance.
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