Totally Killer (2023) Review!!

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

My Take – While the concoction between Groundhog Day (1993) and a slasher franchises like Scream (1996) resulted in the utterly delightful Happy Death Day (2017), and the mash-up of something like the Halloween series and Freaky Friday (2003) resulted in the bloody entertainer Freaky (2020), Blumhouse‘s latest brew is a mix of almost every 80s slasher feature with the time traveling of Back to the Future (1985) with a tinge of The Final Girls (2015) thrown in for good measure.

Though, the results of the Prime Video release are a little lightweight, not quite meeting the gleeful energy of the Happy Death Day films, or the gory carnage of Freaky, it is still an unbelievably fun fusion delivered in a poppy, colorful teen-feature palette. Though it wears its horror mask throughout, it’s the humor, wit, and the time-twisting sci-fi elements that truly shine in this black comedy. Though the scares may not be the most hair-raising, the film manages to keep you hooked with its sprightly charm.

Directed by Nahnatchka Khan (Always Be My Maybe) and written by David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver and Jen D’Angelo, this one is a diverting comedy that playfully takes advantage of its high concept premise and utilizes every slasher cliché while ridiculing the 80s decade it pulled those same clichés from.

Sure, some of the jokes are predictable and the parody isn’t always as witty as it should be, but director Khan seems so comfortable with what she is doing that you ultimately relax and wait for the next unpredictable joke or slasher moment to appear. Clearly, the whole intent of the film is to entertain, no matter how cheesy and familiar it sometimes gets.

Set in the small town of Vernon, which is infamous for the unsolved murders of three 16 year-old girls in 1987, at the hands of a masked killer known only as The Sweet Sixteen Killer, who stabbed each victim sixteen times, leaving behind a legacy even 35 years later.

The story follows Jamie Hughes (Kiernan Shipka), a high schooler who has struggling relationship with her overprotective mother Pam (Julie Bowen) mainly as she continually worries for her teenage daughter as it was her friends who were murdered over a period of a few days all those years ago.

Unfortunately for her, the killer, in an all-black attire and a creepy blonde mask, does return and murders Pam, leaving Jamie devastated by her loss. And when she finds herself pursued by the masked killer, Jamie heads to the rundown amusement park where the school science fair is set up and finds shelter in the work in progress photo booth time machine of her best friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema).

A machine which accidentally sends her back to 1987 the day the killing spree began. With a unique opportunity in hands, Jamie teams up with Amelia’s teen mother Lauren (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson) to stop the killer from targeting her teen mom Pam (Olivia Holt) and her circle of friends whose attitudes make them easy targets.

It’s a strong set-up, and director Nahnatchka Khan displays a strong knowledge of both knife-wielding-stalker flicks and temporal twists and turns. One of the most entertaining things about the cheerfully blood-soaked comedy horror is the way it embraces the inherent implausibility and even ridiculousness of time-travel films and slasher films, leaning into both genres with self-referential gusto. The time travel between 2023 and 1987 opens up some great opportunities for comedy, pointing out the differences between the two time periods.

The writers do a great job of taking advantage of these without over-doing it. Being made by someone who specializes in comedy, the film is very upfront about its nature as an over-the-top comedy first and foremost. The best part is seeing how Jamie is aghast at the insensitivity and lack of political correctness in the era.

Security is so lax, she easily passes as a Canadian exchange student, and spends an inordinate amount time telling people they shouldn’t say or do something that was commonplace in the 80’s and outlawed these days.

The film also does a great job playing with the idea that people today respond to serial killers very differently than they did in the 80s. The lack of DNA testing and national databases is a true and important piece of the puzzle, and true crime podcasts are a must when talking about modern massacres. But while the film excels in humor and time-bending, the slasher elements fall short.

The body count is low and the kills are relatively lackluster, with little more creativity than a high number of stabs. The film is quick to call out the absurdity of wanting more kills and more brutality when considering the victims as actual people, and it does a decent job with that premise. The side characters don’t have enough character development to make audiences overly sympathetic to them, but the trauma of Jamie and Pam is fairly compelling. And, the reveal of the Sweet Sixteen Killer’s identity truly comes as a surprise.

Performances wise, Kiernan Shipka makes for a very fun protagonist throughout. Her effortless command of quick-witted dialogue and her seamless transition between the different emotional tones anchor the film. From a rebellious teen to a grieving daughter to a determined investigator, Shipka’s performance is nothing short of impressive.

She equally well supported by Olivia Holt, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Kelcey Mawema, Jonathan Potts, Anna Diaz, Charlie Gillespie, Ella Choi, Jeremy Monn-Djasgnar, Stephi Chin-Salvo, Liana Liberato, Nathaniel Appiah, Lochlyn Munro, Randall Park and Julie Bowen. On the whole, ‘Totally Killer’ is a witty slasher comedy that blends its elements well enough for a good time.