By John Corrado
A single mother ends up on a first date from hell in Drop, the twisty new thriller from Blumhouse Productions and director Christopher Landon (Freaky, Happy Death Day).
The film also serves as somewhat of a palate cleanser for Landon, who was supposed to direct Scream 7, before that fell through. The story’s contained setting, mostly limited to a single location, allows him to go back to basics, delivering a pretty enjoyable little thriller that, despite its modern technological bent, plays mainly as a riff on Hitchcock.
The single mom in question is Violet Gates (Meghann Fahy), a therapist in Chicago who has a traumatic history with abusive relationships. But she is ready to get back into the dating scene. The night begins with her sister Jen (Violett Beane) arriving to watch her son Toby (Jacob Robinson), and instantly telling her to change outfits.
Violet is meeting Henry Campbell (Brandon Sklenar), a ruggedly good looking photographer who she has so far only chatted with on dating apps. But things begin to take a turn from the moment Violet enters the high-end restaurant overlooking the city, when she starts receiving threatening airdrops on her phone, asking her to complete various tasks. Who is sending these drops, and what do they want from her?
It wouldn’t be wise to reveal any more of the plot, because Drop relies on its constant twists and turns to keep us guessing and build suspense. Landon’s film is designed to emulate old school thrillers about paranoia and suspicion. The screenplay, credited to Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, teases out information, turning the swanky restaurant (built from scratch on a soundstage in Ireland) into a sort of real life escape room. There is a Clue-like aspect to it as well, with the potential for everyone to be a suspect.
As such, Fahy and Sklenar have to do a lot of the heavy lifting, and keep us engaged watching their characters. The film doesn’t quite stick the landing at the end; it goes on a scene or two too long, and also features some spotty green screen effects. But, for the most part, Drop is a fun, pulpy little thriller that offers an enjoyably tense viewing experience.
Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)
Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):
The 4K disc also includes three featurettes and a director’s commentary track. A regular Blu-ray is also included in the package, which ships with a slipcover.
• A Recipe for Thrills: Making Drop (6 minutes, 43 seconds): Touches on some of the themes of the film, the Hitchcokcian influences, and the stunt work.
• A Palate for Panic (4 minutes, 32 seconds): Focuses on the work that production designer Susie Cullen put into building and designing the restaurant set on a soundstage in Ireland.
• Killer Chemistry (3 minutes, 36 seconds): Focuses on the chemistry between the two leads, who both speak very highly of each other.
• Feature Commentary with Director Christopher Landon
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