Directed By Nahnatchka Khan

Starring – Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen

The Plot – When the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer” returns 35 years after his first murder spree to claim another victim, 17-year-old Jamie (Shipka) accidentally travels back in time to 1987, determined to stop the killer before he can start.

Rated R for bloody violence, adult language, sexual material, and teen drug/alcohol use

Totally Killer – Official Red Band Trailer | Prime Video – YouTube

POSITIVES

Imagine “Back to the Future” as an 80’s slasher, and you have “Totally Killer”, the second and superior directing effort from Nahnathchka Khan, who has conjured the latest installment to traditional Halloween marathons everywhere. Part of this reason easily lends itself to the story, which while ripe with a familiarity in concept, is executed refreshingly in ways towards making it feel like an entirely new beast, with insightful observations about distinct cultural differences between timelines that only add to the non-stop hilarity that this film and its script are blessed with. The dependency on humor and expressive personality persevere without ever overstaying their welcome, but also keep from watering down the distinct elements of horror, which still maintain a suspenseful emphasis and inexploitative brutality that satisfy the horror hounds in the audience who sought it out for those exact reasons. Beyond this, the film remains focused on the respective timelines, despite Jamie’s commitment to the 80’s taking up a majority of the screen time. This gives us visual proof of the effects taking shape in real time, which most time travel films don’t take advantage of, in turn removing some of the burden of responsibility from Jamie, while proving that life goes on for the people with knowledge of the film’s entire thirty-five year arc. On top of this, Jamie’s arc is driven by the fractured link to her mother in the foreground of the narrative, which give her intentions an honorable amount of heart, which make her an easy protagonist to invest in, with a few endearing life lessons stitched into the fabric of the film for good measure. As for the production, the film takes ample opportunity in articulating the trends and tracks of the electronic age, but in ways that never feel distracting or obvious with what they depict. This leads to one of my favorite soundtracks of the year, in which 80’s songs that aren’t traditionally used in cinema are assembled to create one hypnotically groovy complilation, which only further inscribe the kind of urgency that Jamie and the film’s 105 minute run time need to keep things intriguing. Equally adding to this overwhelming interest are the talents of the ensemble, who each rise exceptionally to the occasion in depositing depth to what could easily be one-dimensional types in high school hierarchy. This is my first experience with Shipka, but she’s clearly a star in the making, with the kind of caustic cadence and ageless wisdom that make her such a commanding force. The chemistry that she shares with both sides of her on-screen mother’s age, from Julie Bowen to Olivia Holt, makes the transition feel all the more believable, especially since the interaction with them doesn’t feel shaped or shifted based on the differences of their respective ages. Beyond Shipka, the film also has a lot of various utility players from movies over the years, who cement some meaningful surprises to the integrities of their characters, with two such names even being a part of the Jason Voorhees/Friday the 13th franchise that has spanned forty-three years. Lastly, and possibly most important, the film’s science actually makes sense within the scope and schemes of its time travel, with proof for the pudding that finds itself in one clever closing credits sequences. As to where other time travel films use its framing device as a means to explain the inexplainable, the gimmick here remains faithful to what is initially established, leaving it every bit easy to understand as it is reflective in real time transfers.

NEGATIVES

Amazon Prime’s latest slasher thriller is one of the best films that they’ve ever released on their channel, but there are a couple of noteworthy weaknesses that keep it from being one of the very best films of the year. The first comes in the form of the movie’s mystery, which underwhelms for reasons far beyond just a heavily predictable reveal to anyone who has seen even a few slasher films in their lives. Despite the fact that I correctly called the killer at the five minute mark of the movie’s run time, an equally bigger problem comes to the extent of their backstory during the 80’s arc, which we the audience are never privy towards receiving access to, despite the film asking us to follow along on the investigation into the big reveal. A key rule in these kind of slasher mysteries are to remain at eye level with the audience, so that they have all of the knowledge of how the pieces rightfully fit, but some things are left on the cutting room floor, and because of such it doesn’t have the same kind of intense impact that the movie requires. Beyond this, the editing during the first half of the movie is downright aggravating, especially for how little of faith that it has in the audience’s cognitive abilities. If you fail to comprehend a character name or identity during the film’s introduction, fear not, as the film will remind you who everyone is at least five or six times throughout the first two acts. If this is done a couple of times for supporting characters, I can wholeheartedly understand its cause, but considering this is done for such vital characters while beating us over the head with flashback visuals, it becomes an exaggerated annoyance that frequently interrupts the narrative’s progression.

OVERALL
“Totally Killer” is a sharply stinging satire of 80’s slashers that represents an ambitiously rich and alluring future for the newfound relationship between Amazon Prime and Blumhouse Productions. With charming creativity among its horror and comedic elements, which persist simultaneously without alienating one over the other, as well as a boldly blossoming 80’s production value, Khan conjures energy and excitement in the air of deconstructing nostalgia, and even if the film’s mystery doesn’t equally rise to the occasion, there’s enough here to pave a sleek and winding road back to the future.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+