The Reel Review
When the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer” claims a new victim 35 years after his initial killing rampage, 17-year-old Jamie accidentally uses her genius best friend’s time machine to travel back to 1987, where she decides to try to stop him before he can start killing. Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt and Julie Bowen star in this horror/comedy.
Totally Killer is a surprisingly fun and clever mashup of Halloween and Back to the Future (which it even frequently name checks), with a big-haired, 1980s-era dose of Mean Girls. Working from a well-crafted screenplay, director Nahnatchka Khan (Always Be My Maybe, Fresh Off the Boat) deftly balances some surprising R-rated horror with lots of comedy. Sure, the time travel element is a bit of a stretch, but quick pacing and zippy dialogue keeps us from thinking too much about that as Shipka’s Jamie discovers that her mom, sporting a hilarious 80s hairdo, was the leader of the mean girl/murder victims. Jamie tries to warn them but of course no one believes her. Shipka’s ability to handle some tricky tonal shifts among sorrow, terror and comedy is impressive. Bowen (Modern Family) and Holt are convincing as the older and younger versions of Jamie’s mom. The 80s tunes and clothes are pretty hilarious too.
The weakest part of Totally Killer is the serial killer/murder podcast aspect of the film, which feels more like an afterthought compared to the film’s more interesting fish-out-of-water comedy. The movie shines when Jamie upends notions of romanticizing the 1980s, be it clap backs at the incessant smoking, the police’s lack of awareness at yet-to-exist DNA analysis, drug culture and rampant sexism. The ending is also very cute, revealing that even the best laid plans never go quite as expected.
REEL FACTS
• Chicago-native Kiernan Shipka is best known for her leading role in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the anthology series Feud, and the AMC drama series Mad Men. She will next appear in the action-adventure Christmas film Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans.
• At one point in Totally Killer, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) references the movie Scream. Liana Liberato, who plays Tiffany, appeared in 2023’s Scream VI.
• Totally Killer is a reunion for director Nahnatchaka Khan and Randall Park, who worked together in 2019’s Always Be My Maybe and the comedy series Fresh Off the Boat.
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