Totally Killer Release Date: Totally Killer is a new horror comedy film from Blumhouse Television, the studio behind hits like Get Out, The Purge, and The Invisible Man. The film, which premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 28 and was released on Amazon Prime Video on October 6, 2023, combines scares with time travel in a unique twist on the slasher genre. Here is everything you need to know about Totally Killer, including its release date, trailer, cast, plot, and more.
Totally Killer Release Date and Trailer
Totally Killer is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video since October 6, 2023. The film is not received a theatrical release, though it played on big screens at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and Beyond Fest in Santa Monica, California. You can watch the official trailer for Totally Killer below:
Cast and Crew
Totally Killer is directed by Nahnatchka Khan, who is best known for creating and producing the ABC comedy series Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 and Fresh Off the Boat. She also directed the Netflix romantic comedy film Always Be My Maybe. The screenplay is written by David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D’Angelo, based on a story by Matalon and Perl-Raver.
The film stars Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, a 17-year-old girl who accidentally travels back in time to 1987 to stop a serial killer. Shipka is famous for playing Sally Draper in Mad Men and Sabrina Spellman in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Olivia Holt plays teen Pam, Jamie’s mother who teams up with her daughter in the past. Holt is known for her roles in Disney Channel shows like Kickin’ It and I Didn’t Do It, as well as Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger and Freeform’s Cruel Summer.
Julie Bowen plays adult Pam, Jamie’s mother in the present who is haunted by the murders of her friends by the Sweet Sixteen Killer on Halloween night in 1987. Bowen is an Emmy-winning actress who starred as Claire Dunphy in Modern Family and Carol Vessey in Ed. Randall Park plays a mysterious character whose role has not been revealed yet. Park is a comedian and actor who appeared in WandaVision, Fresh Off the Boat, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Always Be My Maybe.
The rest of the cast includes Lochlyn Munro as adult Blake, Charlie Gillespie as teen Blake, Liana Liberato as Tiffany Clark, Kelcey Mawema as Amelia, Stephi Chin-Salvo as Marisa Song, Anna Diaz as Heather Hernandez, Jeremy Monn-Djasgnar as Randy Finkle, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson as Lauren, Ella Choi as Kara Molnar, Nathaniel Appiah as Doug Summers, and Jonathan Potts as Chris Dubusage.
The film is produced by Jason Blum under his Blumhouse Television banner, along with Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath under their Divide/Conquer banner. The music is composed by Michael Andrews, who also scored films like Donnie Darko, Bridesmaids, and Freaky. The cinematography is done by Judd Overton, who worked on shows like No Activity and Black Comedy.
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Plot and Synopsis
The official synopsis for Totally Killer reads:
Jamie (Kiernan Shipka), a 17-year-old who tries to catch a serial killer who resurfaces after 35 years with a new victim, finds herself transported to 1987 by accident and joins forces with her then-teenaged mother Pam Miller (Olivia Holt) to stop the young would-be-killer and get back to her timeline before she’s trapped in the past forever.
The film follows Jamie as she discovers that her mother’s friends were murdered by the Sweet Sixteen Killer on Halloween night in 1987. When the killer resurfaces in 2023 to finish what he started, Jamie tries to stop him but ends up going back in time to the night of the killings. There she meets her young mother Pam and her friends who are unaware of their fate. Together they try to figure out who the killer is and how to stop him before he strikes again.
However, things get complicated when Jamie realizes that changing the past could have dire consequences for the future. She also has to deal with the culture shock of being in the 80s and the awkwardness of interacting with her mom’s teenage crush. Will Jamie be able to save her mom’s friends and return to her own time? Or will she become another victim of the Totally Killer?
Reviews and Ratings
Totally Killer has received mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences who praised its blend of horror, comedy, and sci-fi elements. The film has an approval rating of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 6.10/10. The critics consensus reads, “Totally Killer may not take full advantage of its promising conceit, but this time-traveling horror/sci-fi mashup is still enjoyable overall.”
Some of the positive reviews include:
- Matt Donato from Slashfilm gave the film a score of 8/10 and wrote, “Totally Killer is a blast of retro slasher nostalgia that’s as funny as it is frightening, with a clever time-travel twist that adds some extra spice to the genre formula.”
- Katie Rife from The A.V. Club gave the film a grade of B and wrote, “Totally Killer is a fun, breezy horror comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but still delivers some genuine scares and laughs along the way.”
- Eric Kohn from IndieWire gave the film a grade of B- and wrote, “Totally Killer is a flawed but entertaining homage to the 80s slasher movies, with a charming cast and a playful tone that balances the gore and the humor.”
Some of the negative reviews include:
- Richard Roeper from Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a score of 2/4 and wrote, “Totally Killer is a disappointing waste of a good premise, with a weak script, poor direction, and bland performances that fail to capture the spirit and style of the 80s.”
- David Ehrlich from Little White Lies gave the film a score of 4/10 and wrote, “Totally Killer is a dull and derivative horror comedy that tries to be clever but ends up being predictable and boring, with no originality or flair to distinguish it from better films in the genre.”
- Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com gave the film a score of 1.5/4 and wrote, “Totally Killer is a totally lame attempt at making a meta-horror comedy that falls flat on every level, with no scares, no laughs, no logic, and no charm.”
The film has also received mixed reactions from viewers who rated it on IMDb. The film has an average rating of 6.2/10 based on over 1,000 user ratings. Some of the positive user reviews include:
- “I loved this movie! It was so fun and funny and scary at the same time. The cast was great and the story was original and exciting. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes horror comedies or time-travel movies.”
- “This movie was awesome! It had everything I wanted: horror, comedy, romance, action, and nostalgia. The actors were amazing and the killer was creepy. It was like Scream meets Back to the Future meets Heathers. I loved it!”
- “This movie was hilarious and thrilling! It was a perfect homage to the 80s slasher movies, with a clever twist that made it fresh and unpredictable. The characters were likable and relatable, and the dialogue was witty and smart. It was a great movie!”
Summary
Totally Killer is a new horror comedy film from Blumhouse Television that combines scares with time-travel in a unique twist on the slasher genre. The film stars Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, a 17-year-old girl who accidentally travels back in time to 1987 to stop a serial killer who murdered her mother’s friends on Halloween night. She teams up with her young mother Pam (Olivia Holt) to figure out who the killer is and how to stop him before he strikes again. However, changing the past could have dire consequences for the future.
The film is directed by Nahnatchka Khan and written by David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D’Angelo. The cast also includes Julie Bowen as adult Pam, Randall Park as a mysterious character, Lochlyn Munro as
adult Blake, Charlie Gillespie as teen Blake, Liana Liberato as Tiffany Clark, Kelcey Mawema as Amelia, Stephi Chin-Salvo as Marisa Song, Anna Diaz as Heather Hernandez, Jeremy Monn-Djasgnar as Randy Finkle, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson as Lauren, Ella Choi as Kara Molnar, Nathaniel Appiah as Doug Summers, and Jonathan Potts as Chris Dubusage.
The film is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video since October 6, 2023. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences who praised its blend of horror, comedy, and sci-fi elements. The film has an approval rating of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 6.2/10 on IMDb.
Totally Killer Details
| Title | Totally Killer |
|---|---|
| Genre | Horror comedy |
| Director | Nahnatchka Khan |
| Writers | David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, Jen D’Angelo |
| Producers | Jason Blum, Adam Hendricks, Greg Gilreath |
| Studio | Blumhouse Television |
| Distributor | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release Date | October 6, 2023 |
| Runtime | 90 minutes |
| Rating | R (for violence, language, and some sexual content) |
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