Totally Killer Review: A Horror-Comedy That Loves Its '80s Tropes

There is a killer on the free, and so they’re completely rocking the ’80s. Like, critically!

Amazon Prime Video’s latest slasher, Completely Killer, is a sci-fi horror-comedy that takes what we love of the ’80s and mixes it with a time journey twist. Consider it like a mixture of Completely satisfied Demise Day and Scream however in a B-movie VHS tape.

In comparison with these two slashers having a strong perspective, Completely Killer was simply one other slasher on the block. It was a bloody, enjoyable trip, albeit a messy one with its B-horror film characters and inconsistent plot.

Completely Killer captures the exaggerated tone of the ’80s, particularly in campy horror flicks. Loads of large hair, large colours, and greater personalities make up the world.

However what helps the film stand out is the self-aware nature of Jamie Hughes (performed by Kiernan Shipka of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 1) as she travels many years again into the previous to stop her mom’s future dying.

Jamie is a level-headed “Last Woman” who wastes no time making an attempt to save lots of everybody’s lives. She’s direct, decided, and holds nothing again when stopping the killer.

Plus, she’s a resourceful lead with the self-defense expertise and wits to battle the Candy Sixteen Killer.

We do not have to fret a lot about Jamie as a result of she’s probably the most in management out of everybody within the forged. Being logical and resourceful are the strongest traits she brings again to the previous.

And her data of the long run retains her one step forward of what the killer might do.

Shipka does a superb job of channeling this facet of Jamie. You’re feeling her frustration when nobody heeds her warnings, and also you root for her when she takes cost within the plan to save lots of the victims.

One other spotlight is Jamie’s advanced rising record of connections.

Jamie appears like a sensible teen coping with the trauma of her mom’s dying. She begins as a rebellious woman earlier than remodeling into a powerful and assertive chief who cares in regards to the lives of others.

A part of that is captured by way of her relationship along with her mom.

Being confronted with a teen model of her lifeless mom (performed by Olivia Holt of Merciless Summer season Season 1) places many issues into perspective about who her mom was and who she grew to become. Jamie rebelled in opposition to Pam’s worrying, however now, prior to now, Jamie needed to have all of the stress.

Their position reversal was an attention-grabbing plot due to how aloof Pam was to her habits and every part occurring round her.

Like, a killer goes round murdering her imply woman associates! Why was the urgency not kicking in? (We’ll get to this in a while.)

Ultimately, she understood the seriousness of all of it, however she and her group took their candy time.

Along with Pam, we additionally had Jamie’s new friendship with genius Lauren (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson), Jamie’s father Blake as a meathead teen (Charlie Gillespie from Julie and The Phantoms), and Pam’s buddy group of ’80s horror film stereotypes.

Now, let’s get to the principle plot of Completely Killer.

The horror-comedy slasher injects components of sci-fi into its plot with using time journey. Jamie is distributed again in time to cease the Candy Sixteen Killer from murdering Pam’s three finest associates earlier than going after Pam herself.

It is an thrilling storyline as a result of it brings up a tension-filled deadline that Jamie wants to resolve.

She is aware of when her mom’s associates die, proper right down to the main points. If she will be able to’t save them, historical past will likely be repeated, and it might result in Pam’s dying.

I loved how clear it was to comply with the aim of Jamie’s journey. We’ve got clear stakes and a mission that she should full.

Completely Killer’s drawback is the complicated and murky nature of its time journey plot.

Time journey is not a brand new trope for films and tv, and the consequences of adjusting the previous are the largest warning indicators for its characters.

Simply have a look at each season of The Flash! There was all the time chaos that erupted by somebody messing up the timeline or enjoying with previous occasions. And even with the multiverses, time journey nonetheless threw every part for a loop.

Completely Killer tried to bypass this by making up their very own guidelines. Nevertheless, it tended to not keep according to its classes.

For instance, the rule was made that the current time (2023) would proceed transferring whereas Jamie was within the ’80s, however her actions would impression the long run and alter reminiscences and occasions.

That is all properly and good if Completely Killer caught to it. Nevertheless, even when occasions have been modified, individuals within the current nonetheless had some recollection of reminiscences from the pre-change.

If the occasions had been up to date, the adults would not have vastly totally different reminiscences of what occurred from one thing that did not occur.

These moments would’ve been fully gone! (Confused? So am I.)

Jamie’s finest buddy Amelia (Kelcey Mawema) blamed it on the “Mandela Impact” idea, however it appeared extra like a technique to make up for simple plot choices. Why might an grownup keep in mind particulars like a unique homicide state of affairs however not a musician’s former persona?

Time journey plots can get messy, and so they want a transparent construction for execute it. Even Avengers: Endgame had its share of time journey confusion.

And that is not even contemplating the reveal of its killer, which additionally will get muddled by the point journey guidelines and backstory exposition. (No spoilers right here! Watch the movie to be taught in regards to the identification.)

Comparatively, the largest difficulty of Completely Killer is the unrealistic stupidity of the kids from the ’80s.

One in all Completely Killer’s threads is how informal and “secure” everybody felt prior to now. Nobody believes Jamie when she warns a couple of killer, and he or she’s allowed to do something when requested. It is a very apathetic method to getting what she needs.

This sense is shared amongst Pam’s buddy group, who do not have a care on the earth.

I might purchase their naive obliviousness within the life pre-murders. Because the sheriff mentioned, there had by no means been a homicide earlier than in Vernon.

They’re youngsters of their secure bubble of youth drama, hookups, and partying.

Nevertheless, as soon as the Candy Sixteen Killer begins the murders, you’ll anticipate they’d turn into extra cautious and frightened, proper? Nope! It is the identical previous obliviousness.

Somebody they knew obtained butchered and so they’re again to partying like nothing occurred. And even Pam, who had an entire dialog in regards to the killer, did not deal with the homicide as critically.

B-horror films, particularly those within the ’80s, tended to play with these tropes lots. Notably, it is the airheaded, sex-craving, party-loving group that’s too centered on different issues to note a killer is murdering individuals round them.

American Horror Story Season 9 is a superb instance of recognizing these fodder victims and stereotypes within the bunch.

I like that kind of slasher; it is my bread and butter. Nevertheless, it was irritating at instances being on Jamie’s journey as a result of nobody was listening to her or taking it critically.

Nobody in life is that clueless or heartless in regards to the dying of their frenemy.

And it was too late into the film once they obtained severe. Even characters in ’80s slashers kicked into motion sooner once they found a masked killer was looking them down.

Let that sink in: the targets of killers like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers have been extra involved about their lives and a killer on the free than the ’80s teenagers on Completely Killer.

Certain, the kids in ’90s films like Scream had events with a killer round, however no less than they saved in teams and have been petrified of being the subsequent sufferer.

These choices may’ve been made to intensify the comedy components of Completely Killer. Tacky characters who make brainless choices result in bloody outcomes, in order that’s the most effective guess for the strategy to this insanity.

Completely Killer is not a nasty movie. It is a enjoyable campy slasher for spooky season that does not take itself too critically.

The film is right here for the kills and the time-traveling Halloween shenanigans of its foremost forged. Nevertheless, with extra reasonable characters and a seamless plot, Completely Killer would’ve been extra of a bloody good time vs. having moments that have been a bloody mess.

Now, over to you, TV Fanatics.

What did you consider Completely Killer? Share your ideas within the feedback beneath.

Completely Killer is on the market to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.