Fantastic Fest 2023 Greetings again from the dark. Halloween is approaching, so we know we can expect the latest from Blumhouse Productions. What we didn't expect was a rare mix of comedy, horror, sci-fi and time travel wrapped in '80s nostalgia. Director Nahnatchka Khan (creator of “Fresh Off the Boat”) and a trio of co-writers, David Matalon , Sasha Perl-Raver and Jen D'Angelo (HOCUS POCUS 2, 2022), present a film that pays tribute to many who have come before, most notably BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) and HALLOWEEN (1978). Or maybe it's HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (2010) and SCREAM (1996). Either way, it's a nice ride as we poke fun at the culture of 1987.
Jamie (Kiernan Shipka, “Mad Men”) is a teenager fed up with her overprotective mother (Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”). However, this mother has history on her side when it comes to being protective of her. It's Halloween night and thirty-five years ago, three North Vernon girls, all friends of theirs, were stabbed sixteen times. Nowadays, the most popular Halloween costume in Vernon is the 'Sweet Sixteen Killer'... an all black outfit and a creepy blonde mask.
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Writers: David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, Jen D'Angelo
Stars: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Charlie Gillespie
Of course, it is this year that the killer returns to claim another victim. While being pursued by the masked killer, Jamie heads to the run-down amusement park where the school's science fair is being held. In my day, most science projects were done with construction paper and colored pens.
Times have changed and Jamie's clever friend Lauren (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson) has transformed a photo booth into a time travel machine. Although it hadn't worked previously, the killer's knife plunging into the control panel sends Jamie back to 1987, where she meets her high school mom (Olivia Holt) and tries to prevent the original tragedy from happening.
It is at this point when nostalgia makes an appearance. Most would agree that the 1980s were not a pleasant time, and that they are even more embarrassing now. Pam is in a 'Mean Girls' type group called The Mollys (because they worship '80s icon Molly Ringwald), and there are jokes about music, clothes and cocaine. But the best part is seeing how Jamie is horrified by the insensitivity and lack of political correctness at the time.
Security is so lax that she easily passes herself off as a Canadian exchange student and she spends an inordinate amount of time telling people that they shouldn't say or do something that was common in the '80s and is prohibited today.
The expected wisecracks counteract the violent murders, and for the most part, the film works well as an entertaining and fun trip down memory lane. As a bonus, it gives Kiernan Shipka a lead role that he can take advantage of.
Watch Totally Killer 2023 Movie Trailer
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