I stumbled upon this by accident last night and gave it a watch. It’s really funny. Has excellent replay value. And goes down as My 700th Movie Buff Review.
The movie was crafted by a trio of writers; David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D’Angelo, and directed by Nahnatchka Khan. It’s billed as a dark comedy. It has plenty of gore to offset the laughs, and serves as a perfect changeup for Spooky Movie Season.
Scream meets Back to the Future?
The movie opens on Halloween night, 2023. A local criminal known as the Sweet 16 Killer has returned after decades in absentia. The serial killer got his nickname because he stabbed his victims 16 times on the nights of their 16th birthdays. Michael Myers, take heed.
16 year old Jamie Hughes (Kiernan Shipka) goes back in time to Halloween, 1987, and attempts to stop the murders before they starts. The movie channels other gems like “Scream,” “Frequency,” and of course, “Back to the Future” which is referenced by characters several times, having only recently been released where (and when) the bulk of the story takes place.
Likeable Characters
I first watched Kiernan Shipka in “Let it Snow” and here demonstrates she is a great talent. The character of Jamie Hughes is our protagonist. It’s a role that needs to be serious – she is trying to stop a bloody massacre after all. But Shipka shines with comedy. It’s hysterical watching a present day Generation Z teen reacting to the world in 1987. It’s funny and never over the top. Shipka does an excellent job.
There’s a nice arc to Jamie, who has a touchy relationship with her parents, played by Lochlyn Munro and my girl Julie Bowen. She goes back in time, and of course, is interacting with her parents as teenagers, played by Charlie Gillespie and Olivia Holt. They successfully poke fun at the 80s in the fashion, music, and attitudes around.
The time travel element is anything other than plausible. Jamie’s friend Amelia (Kelcey Mawema) is casually working on a time machine in science class, as one is want to do. Amelia is using notes her mother started in 1987. One can easily guess that Jamie will work with the teenage version of the mother (Troy L. Johnson) akin to Marty McFly and Doc Brown.
There are consequences for Jamie’s presence in the past, but nothing as serious as one may expect. But there is a ticking clock. The damaged time machine is powered by her smart phone which is quickly losing power.
“Totally Killer” serves its purpose as a fun movie to watch. It’s not scary, though there is quite a bit of blood. I’ll watch again, and it begs for a sequel.
“Totally Killer” is available to stream on Amazon.
