by Christian Grullon, Contributing Writer
Time is the villain in Nahnatchka Khan’s slasher film, Totally Killer. As its final girls become bound by age, the killers, who viciously pursue them, never lose momentum. This film is worth watching for viewers looking to be on the edge of their seats and wanting to get their minds racing. Khan manages to combine comedy with time travel science fiction in this project.
The movie follows Jamie (Kiernan Shipka), who a vicious killer is pursuing. Shipka’s entertaining presence and her lively dialogue are two of the film’s strong points. She even shows off some dramatic chops in moments of complex tonal shifts. The chemistry between the actors is spot-on.
Totally Killer is a movie guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats thanks to the performances and entertainment. From the start, the tension makes its presence known, and the pacing is smooth to keep viewers on track with the film’s story. The twists and turns keep the audience guessing until the very end. Combining time travel and horror is surprisingly pleasant.
One of the movie’s notable strengths is its balanced mixture of horror and comedy. Both subjects are executed brilliantly, while maintaining their focus on the horror and slasher core. At times, the film does bring in some good laughs, but it keeps horror as the core aspect of the story. Thankfully, the movie never forgets its blending of comedic moments. As usual, mixing comedy with more serious films is meant to break and loosen the apparent tension, and it never overshadows the horror.
Excellent performances make the movie worth watching, specifically Shipka, Olivia Holt, and Charlie Gillespie. Every actor does an excellent job of bringing development and complexity to their characters. Holt provides a substantial performance herself by showcasing her character’s vulnerability.
Despite the cast and good pacing, the film is not without its drawbacks. Adding time travel is a good twist in the slasher genre, but the risk is confusion for some viewers who may need to be more familiar with time travel and how it works. Paying attention to specific timelines can be challenging to figure out and pinpoint correctly. Also, the film’s ending leaves a lot more questions than answers.
Despite its few miscues, Totally Killer delivers interesting visual elements, good pacing, and an engaging storyline to keep viewers happy. The fantastic twists and turns, strong performances, properly blended elements, and perfectly timed comedic moments make it worth seeing.
Rating: Liked It
Totally Killer is currently streaming on Prime Video
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