There’s a killer on the free, and so they’re completely rocking the ’80s. Like, significantly!
Amazon Prime Video’s latest slasher, Totally Killer, is a sci-fi horror-comedy that takes what we love of the ’80s and mixes it with a time journey twist. Think of it like a mixture of Happy Death Day and Scream however in a B-movie VHS tape.
Compared to these two slashers having a stable perspective, Totally Killer was simply one other slasher on the block. It was a bloody, enjoyable journey, albeit a messy one with its B-horror film characters and inconsistent plot.
Totally Killer captures the exaggerated tone of the ’80s, particularly in campy horror flicks. Plenty of massive hair, huge colours, and larger personalities make up the world.
But what helps the film stand out is the self-aware nature of Jamie Hughes (performed by Kiernan Shipka of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 1) as she travels a long time again into the previous to forestall her mom’s future demise.
Jamie is a level-headed “Final Girl” who wastes no time attempting to avoid wasting everybody’s lives. She’s direct, decided, and holds nothing again when stopping the killer.
Plus, she’s a resourceful lead with the self-defense expertise and wits to struggle the Sweet Sixteen Killer.
We haven’t got to fret a lot about Jamie as a result of she’s probably the most in management out of everybody within the forged. Being logical and resourceful are the strongest traits she brings again to the previous.
And her information of the long run retains her one step forward of what the killer might do.
Shipka does a wonderful job of channeling this aspect of Jamie. You really feel her frustration when nobody heeds her warnings, and also you root for her when she takes cost within the plan to avoid wasting the victims.
Another spotlight is Jamie’s advanced rising record of connections.
Jamie appears like a practical teen coping with the trauma of her mom’s demise. She begins as a rebellious lady earlier than remodeling into a powerful and assertive chief who cares in regards to the lives of others.
Part of that is captured by her relationship along with her mom.
Being confronted with a teen model of her lifeless mom (performed by Olivia Holt of Cruel Summer Season 1) places many issues into perspective about who her mom was and who she turned. Jamie rebelled in opposition to Pam’s worrying, however now, previously, Jamie needed to have all of the stress.
Their function reversal was an attention-grabbing plot due to how aloof Pam was to her conduct and every part taking place round her.
Like, a killer goes round murdering her imply lady associates! Why was the urgency not kicking in? (We’ll get to this in a while.)
Eventually, she understood the seriousness of all of it, however she and her group took their candy time.
In addition to Pam, we additionally had Jamie’s new friendship with genius Lauren (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson), Jamie’s father Blake as a meathead teen (Charlie Gillespie from Julie and The Phantoms), and Pam’s pal group of ’80s horror film stereotypes.
Now, let’s get to the principle plot of Totally Killer.
The horror-comedy slasher injects components of sci-fi into its plot with the usage of time journey. Jamie is distributed again in time to cease the Sweet Sixteen Killer from murdering Pam’s three greatest associates earlier than going after Pam herself.
It’s an thrilling storyline as a result of it brings up a tension-filled deadline that Jamie wants to unravel.
She is aware of when her mom’s associates die, proper all the way down to the main points. If she will be able to’t save them, historical past might be repeated, and it might result in Pam’s demise.
I loved how clear it was to observe the aim of Jamie’s journey. We have clear stakes and a mission that she should full.
Totally Killer’s downside is the complicated and murky nature of its time journey plot.
Time journey is not a brand new trope for films and tv, and the results of adjusting the previous are the largest warning indicators for its characters.
Just take a look at each season of The Flash! There was at all times chaos that erupted by somebody messing up the timeline or taking part in with previous occasions. And even with the multiverses, time journey nonetheless threw every part for a loop.
Totally Killer tried to bypass this by making up their very own guidelines. However, it tended to not keep in step with its classes.
For instance, the rule was made that the current time (2023) would proceed transferring whereas Jamie was within the ’80s, however her actions would influence the long run and alter recollections and occasions.
That’s all effectively and good if Totally Killer caught to it. However, even when occasions had been modified, individuals within the current nonetheless had some recollection of recollections from the pre-change.
If the occasions had been up to date, the adults would not have vastly totally different recollections of what occurred from one thing that did not occur.
These moments would’ve been fully gone! (Confused? So am I.)
Jamie’s greatest pal Amelia (Kelcey Mawema) blamed it on the “Mandela Effect” idea, nevertheless it appeared extra like a option to make up for simple plot selections. Why might an grownup bear in mind particulars like a distinct homicide state of affairs however not a musician’s former persona?
Time journey plots can get messy, and so they want a transparent construction for learn how to execute it. Even Avengers: Endgame had its share of time journey confusion.
And that is not even contemplating the reveal of its killer, which additionally will get muddled by the point journey guidelines and backstory exposition. (No spoilers right here! Watch the movie to study in regards to the id.)
Comparatively, the largest subject of Totally Killer is the unrealistic stupidity of the kids from the ’80s.
One of Totally Killer’s threads is how informal and “safe” everybody felt previously. No one believes Jamie when she warns a few killer, and she or he’s allowed to do something when requested. It’s a really apathetic method to getting what she desires.
This feeling is shared amongst Pam’s pal group, who haven’t got a care on the earth.
I might purchase their naive obliviousness within the life pre-murders. As the sheriff stated, there had by no means been a homicide earlier than in Vernon.
They’re youngsters of their secure bubble of juvenile drama, hookups, and partying.
However, as soon as the Sweet Sixteen Killer begins the murders, you’ll count on they’d develop into extra cautious and nervous, proper? Nope! It’s the identical outdated obliviousness.
Someone they knew obtained butchered and so they’re again to partying like nothing occurred. And even Pam, who had an entire dialog in regards to the killer, did not deal with the homicide as significantly.
B-horror films, particularly those within the ’80s, tended to play with these tropes rather a lot. Particularly, it is the airheaded, sex-craving, party-loving group that’s too centered on different issues to note a killer is murdering individuals round them.
American Horror Story Season 9 is a good instance of recognizing these fodder victims and stereotypes within the bunch.
I like that kind of slasher; it is my bread and butter. However, it was irritating at occasions being on Jamie’s journey as a result of nobody was listening to her or taking it significantly.
No one in life is that clueless or heartless in regards to the demise of their frenemy.
And it was too late into the film after they obtained severe. Even characters in ’80s slashers kicked into motion quicker after they found a masked killer was searching them down.
Let that sink in: the targets of killers like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers had been extra involved about their lives and a killer on the free than the ’80s teenagers on Totally Killer.
Sure, the kids in ’90s films like Scream had events with a killer round, however at the least they stored in teams and had been frightened of being the subsequent sufferer.
These selections may’ve been made to intensify the comedy components of Totally Killer. Cheesy characters who make brainless selections result in bloody outcomes, in order that’s the very best guess for the tactic to this insanity.
Totally Killer is not a foul movie. It’s a enjoyable campy slasher for spooky season that does not take itself too significantly.
The film is right here for the kills and the time-traveling Halloween shenanigans of its foremost forged. However, with extra real looking characters and a seamless plot, Totally Killer would’ve been extra of a bloody good time vs. having moments that had been a bloody mess.
Now, over to you, TV Fanatics.
What did you consider Totally Killer? Share your ideas within the feedback beneath.
Totally Killer is obtainable to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.
Justin Carreiro is a workers author for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
Discussion about this post