Drop Review: An almost-perfect thriller that’s fun and fast-paced

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Drop is the latest thriller from Christopher Landon, who has been making a name for himself over the last decade thanks to horror hits like Happy Death Day and Heart Eyes. The best part about Landon’s movies is that they all have a very 1990s-Wes Craven/Kevin Williamson vibe. This is especially apparent in his latest film, Drop, which feels like a spiritual sequel to Craven’s 2005 hit Red Eye.

In Drop, Violet (Meghann Fahy), a young mother still recovering from the trauma of an abusive ex, gets the courage to go out on her first date with a new man she met online. They plan to meet at a swanky rooftop restaurant on the 38th floor of a downtown skyscraper. Shortly after the date begins, Violet receives airdrops to her phone (the movie has no Apple branding and calls them “drops”). At first, Violet and her date, Henry (Brandon Sklenar), think it’s someone pulling a stupid prank. However, the tone of the drops quickly becomes hostile and eventually reveals that Violet’s family is being watched, and if she doesn’t kill her date, her family dies.

I won’t be giving any spoilers because the whodunnit aspect of the movie is half the fun. And trust me, Drop is indeed a lot of fun. Anyone who has seen Red Eye knows the setup. A woman is trapped in a confined space and forced to make a horrible decision while the killer watches over her. Normally, I’d argue that technology hurts horror and suspense movies. With our interconnectedness these days, it’s hard to find a scenario where someone can’t somehow in some way reach out for help. But Drop actually uses technology to its benefit.

Thanks to her Nest cameras, Violet can clearly see her family being stalked by a masked man. With an airdrop, someone can easily be making anonymous threats to her, and thanks to cell phones, the anonymous villain can easily keep in contact with the man staked outside of Violet’s house. Landon perfectly takes something that hinders horror movies and uses it to his advantage.

While I love Red Eye, I feel like Drop’s tech-centric story has actually improved the formula. In some ways, it even makes it feel more believable because in our current age of scam calls, phishing emails, RFID skimming, and even massive data hacks from huge corporations, technology has made us feel incredibly vulnerable — and because so many of those happen anonymously, the idea that anyone could be the perpetrator feels more possible now than ever. Drop utilizes these anxieties perfectly, giving the movie an extra je ne sais quoi that really helps it stand out.

Drop keeps you entertained with its multilayered suspense

I got to see the Drop premiere at SXSW, and it was one of the most exciting and fun premieres I’ve ever been to. As the film really picked up, the audience started verbally rooting for Violet and even cheered at certain scenes. I got caught up in the excitement and noticed that I was truly entertained by this movie the entire way through.

I’ve been thinking about what makes Drop so great, and I think it has a lot to do with how multilayered it is. Yes, it’s a wide-release, mass-market Blumhouse movie with a pretty standard 95-minute runtime. But the brilliance of it is how much it’s able to pack in. I counted five major questions the movie asks, which really helps keep the suspense alive until the very last minute of the movie. Drop makes you wonder (1) Will she kill him? (2) How will she kill him? (3) Why is she being forced to kill him? (4) Who wants him dead? (5) Is there a way for her to just escape this whole situation?

With all those questions, you’re never bored during Drop. And that’s something I’ve noticed with a lot of Landon’s movies. We’re in this A24 and Neon era of horror right now, where the genre is expected to be some slow-burn drama with deep underlying messages about things like grief and trauma. While that certainly has its place, I really enjoy Landon’s filmmaking style, where horror movies can still be smart, but in a fun way that feels fast-paced. Drop has a brilliant script, and if you’ve seen his other films, you know that Landon excels at creating smart stories that still have a good dose of camp and excitement to them.

Drop is loaded with twists and turns

Drop isn’t just loaded with questions; it also takes many unexpected twists and turns. Again, no spoilers here, so don’t worry. Just know that you’re always guessing who the drop sender might be, and the film creates a few suspects to keep you wondering. But the movie has a few other really good twists as well, and somehow the night continues to get worse and worse for Violet, making audiences wonder how she could ever survive it.

I keep returning to how brilliant that is for a standard hour-and-a-half movie. It’s not easy to have so many questions and surprises in such a short amount of time, all without it feeling rushed or sloppy. The fact that Drop accomplishes that is proof that it’s a great thriller, and its complexity and swiftness make it addictively watchable.

Drop is fun, smart, and suspenseful. Fahy gives a great performance. The movie’s rooftop restaurant setting is interesting, and its thrilling story keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire film. I’d even argue it’s one of Blumhouse’s best movies.

Drop opens in theaters nationwide on April 11.