Totally Killer – Movie Review [Prime Video] (4/5)

TOTALLY KILLER on Prime Video is a new horror-comedy full of wonderful references from various genre movies. Also, the cast is full of familiar faces with kitsch and campy characters at the forefront. I was very well-entertained with this one. Read our full Totally Killer movie review here!

TOTALLY KILLER is a new Prime Video horror-comedy released in the wonderful Halloween month of October. It’s a Blumhouse production, but we won’t be getting a new round of “Welcome to the Blumhouse” Halloween releases. Personally, I’d rather have one awesome movie anyway, which this one certainly managed to deliver for me.

This new Prime Video release is both a slasher, a time travel movie, and a horror-comedy with all that this entails of kitsch and campy moments. Also, it plays out in the 1980s which in itself is always a soft spot for me. I was like a kid in a candy store with this one, because it just reminded me of all the movies I loved watching as a teenager.

Continue reading our Totally Killer movie review below. Find it on Prime Video from October 6, 2023.

The Sweet Sixteen Killer

In Totally Killer, we begin in the present day on Halloween. It’s been 35 years since three teens were murdered in the small town. All three were killed by the “Sweet Sixteen Killer” who murdered 16-year-old girls by stabbing them 16 times. Yes, it’s a little on the nose and absolutely perfect for a horror-comedy.

On the present day Halloween, the killer returns and a fourth person falls victim to the Sweet Sixteen Killer.

The 17-year-old Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) has grown up listening to her mom talking about this killer who struck around Halloween. However, Jamie ignores her overprotective mom (Julie Bowen) and all her warnings. Obviously, this is a mistake, and before the night is over Jamie comes face-to-face with the masked maniac.

OTHER BLUMHOUSE SLASHER KILLERS

The Sweet Sixteen Killer is just the latest serial killer from a Blumhouse slasher.
We also have: “Babyface” from Happy Death Day, “M3gan” from M3gan, and “The Grabber” from The Black Phone.

As she runs for her life, she hides in a time machine her best friend has been working on. Of course, it has never actually worked, but on this night, a simple accident makes it work. Jamie accidentally time travels back to 1987, which was the year of the original three killings by the Sweet Sixteen Killer.

Now, Jamie finds herself in the culture of the 1980s which is indeed very different from the world she knows. Mostly, people are rude and crude (not to mention racist and homophobic) in ways I had almost forgotten. Jamie quickly tries to team up with her teen mom (Olivia Holt) to take down the killer. Not an easy task, as her mom is part of a real-life group of the 1980s “Mean Girls”.

The cast makes it come together

As someone who grew up watching 1980s romantic comedies, sci-fi, and horror, Totally Killer is pure nostalgia to me. Also, it reminded me of the less-than-charming aspects of the kitsch and colorful decade. Fortunately, Back to the Future has been released, so Kiernan Shipka‘s Jamie can reference that movie.

Not that it helps much, but she has a few other tricks up her sleeve. Mostly, she knows that a killer is about to strike, so she can “predict” murders.

I loved Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) in Totally Killer, but she is obviously in need of a cast to support her lead role. Fortunately, the cast of Totally Killer is totally awesome. Olivia Holt is fantastic as the young version of Julie Bowen’s character, who is the mother of Jamie (Kiernan Shipka). As Pam, Olivia Holt (Cruel Summer) has exactly the right mix of being a Mean Girl and using her wits.

Playing Blake, Jamie’s father, we see Charlie Gillespie as the young version and Lochlyn Munro as the adult. As the other High Schoolers, we see Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Liana Liberato (Based on a True Story), Kelcey Mawema, Stephi Chin-Salvo (Critters: A New Binge), and Ella Choi. To name just a few.

Also, you’ll see Randall Park in a small role as the 1980s Sheriff, and Jonathan Potts (Rupture) as a present-day true-crime podcaster.

Watch Totally Killer on Prime Video!

The director of Totally Killer is Nahnatchka Khan, who previously worked on various comedy TV series. These include Fresh Off the Boat and Young Rock. However, do not let that fool you into thinking the horror part is lacking in this hybrid movie. This is still a slasher story about a serial killer as well.

The screenplay was written by David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D’Angelo based on a story by David Matalon & Sasha Perl-Raver. As already mentioned, the producers include Jason Blum (Blumhouse), and as someone who loves both the campiness of the 1980s and horror-comedies, Totally Killer worked totally well for me.

If you’re not as fond of pop culture references and time travel stories, then you might not find it as charming. However, I still think the overall serial killer story and the characters, as well as the wonderful cast, should be more than enough to entertain almost everyone. Do check it out and just have fun with it. I know I definitely did!

Totally Killer is out on Prime Video on October 6, 2023.

Details

Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Writers: David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, Jen D’Angelo
Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Charlie Gillespie, Lochlyn Munro, Troy L. Johnson, Liana Liberato, Kelcey Mawema, Stephi Chin-Salvo, Anna Diaz, Ella Choi, Jeremy Monn-Djasngar, Nathaniel Appiah, Jonathan Potts, Randall Park, Julie Bowen