Fantastic Fest 2023 was abuzz with nostalgia for the 1980s, and at the heart of this celebration was the world premiere of Totally Killer. Directed by Nahnatchka Khan and featuring a screenplay crafted by David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D’Angelo, this film bridges the gap between the 80s and the present day through various elements such as a photo booth, an arcade machine, and the iconic Gravitron ride.
The ensemble cast of Totally Killer includes talented actors and actresses such as Kiernan Shipka, Charlie Gillespie, Liana Liberato, Kelcey Mawema, Julie Bowen, Ella Choi, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Randall Park, Stephi Chin-Salvo, and Anna Diaz. With its blend of nostalgia and contemporary storytelling, the film promises to take viewers on a journey through time, creating a unique and captivating cinematic experience.
Totally Killer, a Prime Original film, unfolds in a small town that gained notoriety for a series of gruesome murders. These chilling events occurred as three teenagers turned sixteen, leaving an indelible mark on the town’s history. Over the course of 35 years, the town has become synonymous with the Sweet Sixteen Killer, with gruesome tours and the killer’s mask becoming popular Halloween attractions. This grim commercialization demonstrates how quickly people can become desensitized to true crime when it turns into a profitable venture.
However, the narrative takes a dark turn when the killer resurfaces, targeting a fourth victim. This time, the victim is an overprotective mother who had witnessed her classmates’ grief and deaths 35 years earlier. The film explores the unsettling consequences of unresolved trauma and the resurgence of a horrifying past, promising to deliver a gripping and suspenseful storyline.
In Totally Killer, Jamie, defying her mother’s warnings, ventures out on Halloween and encounters the masked killer who terrorized her mother’s generation. As she desperately flees through a sinister and eerie pier, an accidental twist of fate sends her hurtling back in time to 1987, the very year of the original murders. Stranded in the past with her 2020s sensibilities, Jamie must forge an unlikely alliance with her teenage mother, whom we’ll refer to as young Pam, portrayed by Olivia Holt. Together, they embark on a mission to vanquish the killer once and for all before Jamie becomes trapped in the past for eternity.
Jamie faces numerous challenges in this precarious situation. She’s a time traveler, an anomaly in a world that views her as an eccentric Canadian. To make matters worse, the time machine is malfunctioning, leaving her stranded in an era she doesn’t belong to. Her mother, who turns out to be a leader of a group of obnoxious teenage girls, is far from the supportive figure Jamie had envisioned. Moreover, Jamie struggles to adapt to the wild and outrageous culture of the 1980s, adding to the complexity of her mission to stop the impending murder on Halloween night. The film promises an entertaining blend of time travel, suspense, and humor as Jamie navigates the challenges of the past to alter the course of history.
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Totally Killer seamlessly weaves together elements of vibrant color, humor, and a deep appreciation for the 80s, drawing clear inspiration from classics like Back to the Future. However, the film stands out by not merely serving as a nostalgic homage to the 80s but by creating a lived-in atmosphere where the audience can feel immersed in the era. Kiernan Shipka’s character, Jamie, effectively serves as the audience’s surrogate, observing the unfolding events with us.
What sets Totally Killer apart is its ability to capture the essence of the 80s without resorting to clichéd and forced references that often come across as mere cultural stereotypes. Instead, it evokes a specific memory of the era, allowing the audience to connect with the time period on a deeper level.
Furthermore, the film doesn’t just replicate the nostalgia and meanness of the 80s but also explores how the younger generations react to it. Jamie’s one-liners, rooted in Gen Z expressions often seen on social media, feel genuine and necessary. This authenticity in character development and dialogue contributes to making Jamie a relatable and well-rounded character, ensuring that her reactions to the past era are not only entertaining but also believable.
Totally Killer not only embraces the slasher genre but also demonstrates a keen understanding of its tropes, allowing the film to either subvert them or amplify them for campy effect. The candy-colored sets serve as a backdrop that effectively sells the violence, capturing the absurdity of the situations unfolding on screen. The film comfortably navigates the horror subgenre while also venturing into the realm of sci-fi, fully embracing the weirdness and comedic complexity of time travel.
In this film, time travel is depicted as a constantly moving river, where changes made in the past have a ripple effect on the present. The narrative allows for a more flexible approach to time travel, where characters can step in and out of the river without erasing themselves from existence. These changes to the timeline often manifest in small, effortlessly funny ways, such as podcast inconsistencies and notes left at a crime scene. These subtle quirks contribute to the film’s effervescent humor, keeping the thrills and enjoyment flowing, even amidst some gruesome kills.
One area where Totally Killer encounters some stumbling blocks is in its pacing between the past and the present. The transitions between these time periods aren’t always seamless, despite the humor of the changes consistently hitting the mark. The film’s choices in transitioning from one time period to another, particularly after significant moments in the past, can feel abrupt and could benefit from more breathing room. However, it’s worth noting that many time travel movies encounter similar pacing challenges, making this a relatively minor critique for a film with a catchy script and direction.
Despite these pacing hiccups, the film’s twists, delivered by its talented cast, especially Kiernan Shipka and Olivia Holt, keep the audience fully engaged and balancing laughter with gasps of oh sh*t. The mystery is enhanced by well-executed misdirection, and the reveal of the killer delivers a satisfying punch.
Totally Killer successfully combines fun and a touch of meanness, making it a great recommendation for a movie night. The film fully embraces the genres it inhabits, allowing its comedy to seamlessly blend with the films that have influenced it. With a fantastic cast that convincingly delivers every eye roll, mean girl joke, and flirtatious ploy, Totally Killer offers an entertaining experience. The film is now available for streaming exclusively on Prime Video.
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