Drop review

DROP: 

CHRISTOPHER LANDON THRILLER IS UNIRONICALLY THE BEST DATE MOVIE OF 2025! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Meghann Fahy in Drop

 

            A widowed mother’s date turns into a nightmare in Drop, the new thriller from director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day 1 and 2, Freaky) who also produced Heart Eyes earlier this year and produced by Platinum Dunes(Michael Bay’s production company) and Blumhouse. I’ve been very impressed with Landon’s work since 2017 especially coming off of garbage horror movies like Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, but Happy Death Day and Freaky were fun and clever takes on the slasher movie genre with a sense of humor. 

            Now, we have Drop where Landon goes from slashers to cyberstalking which I was onboard for the moment it was announced. I was split on Happy Death Day 2U (Though I don’t remember hating or even disliking it), but the first Happy Death Day and especially Freaky I thoroughly enjoyed which was more than enough for me to become a fan of this director. 

            So, how does Drop fare in comparison to Landon’s other projects? Honestly, this might be the best film I’ve seen from him. I found this movie quite entertaining and suspenseful throughout and was invested in both the leads and the mystery, it’s also unironically a great date movie. 

            The film follows widowed mother, Violet Gates (Meghann Fahy-Miss Sloane, The Bold Type, The White Lotus) getting ready for her first date in years. Upon getting to this swank, upscale restaurant and meeting her charming and handsome date, Henry Campbell (Brandon Sklenar-Vice, 1923, It Ends with Us), Violent starts receiving mysterious and threatening messages (or drops) on her phone from an anonymous user ordering her to follow instructions and eventually kill her date otherwise her son dies. 

            To make matters worse, there are hidden cameras all over the restaurant watching Violet’s every move so, it becomes a race to figure out who is sending the messages before everyone loves is killed. Violet confirms that it must be someone in the restaurant, the question is who?

            The film also stars Violette Beane (The Flash, God Friended Me, Death and Other Details) as Violet’s younger sister Jen Gates, Reed Diamond (24, Bones, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Richard, Jeffery Self (Jeffery & Cole Casserole,Gay of Thrones, Search Party) as Matt, and Ed Weeks (Dirty Sexy Funny, The Mindy Project, LA to Vegas) as Phil. 

            Overall, Drop finds Christopher Landon once again subverting audiences’ expectations with the horror/thriller genres with a suspenseful, clever, and above all fun thriller with endearing leads, chilling sequences, and a gripping mystery surrounding it all. I’m sure other critics have brought this up, but the film has a serious modern Hitchcockian vibe in terms of the plot and unlike a movie like the M. Night Shyamalan-produced, Devil which also had a somewhat Hitchcock-inspired premise, this one actually follows through with it. 

            This is basically Rear Window for the smartphone generation and it’s actually done quite brilliantly with the anonymous user taunting our lead with threatening memes and texts to get her to do what he/she wants or someone she loves will be murdered. It’s a legitimately frightening idea that could potentially happen in real life though maybe nowhere near as exaggerated or over-the-top as it is here, but I was on the edge of my seat throughout the film. 

            What makes this movie work are the performances by Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar who have very likable chemistry and have a lot of charm. Meghann Fahy does what Jessica Rothe did for the Happy Death Day films and what Kathryn Newton did for Freaky by being very charismatic and endearing as a horror/thriller movie protagonist you want to see survive the chaos while most importantly retaining a lot of humanity to her role. 

            They don’t make her into an action hero or a dumb blonde stereotype, instead she portrays her character like an actual human being. A little awkward and quirky at times, but she’s very smart, cunning, and at the end of the day she’s just a loving mother trying to keep her son safe which makes her relatable for anyone who’s ever been a parent. 

            I also give this film massive points for not making her date a dumbass, Brandon Sklenar is very charming as Henry and has great romantic chemistry with Fahy. He starts to piece together what’s going on with his date and why she’s acting so strange throughout the night which again, adds an element of relatability if you ever went on a date with someone who’s constantly on edge during it. 

            Like what I said with Heart Eyes, this actually is a solid date movie because of Fahy and Sklenar’s chemistry as the film goes back and forth between “Will She, Won’t She?” and “Will They, Won’t They?” scenarios and you get what these people are like through their conversations together. Which makes me even more sad that the Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose romantic action movie, Love Hurts missed the mark on strong romantic chemistry between its leads because this movie ACTUALLY has romantic chemistry. 

            Despite the movie taking place in one location throughout most of its duration, the cinematography and production design look great especially with how the restaurant interior looks. It feels like you’re in this restaurant with these characters and the film plays around with neat camera tricks and editing, never before has pouring tequila looked more cinematic and epic than Captain Falcon America fighting Really Pissed Off Hulk. 

If you couldn’t tell, I had an absolute blast with Drop and will go on record and say it’s my new favorite film from Christopher Landon. It has high stakes, thrills, captivating leads, and even romance all of which are meshed together to near perfection. 

Whether going out on a date or just flying solo and especially if you’re a fan of films like Cellular, Phonebooth, or Panic Room, this is one night you’ll never forget.