Featured Photo by Amazon Studios
Story by Larry Rincon
Horror movies have a range of genres and niches. However, time travel seems to be one of the least used ideas. Time loops I have seen in movies like “Happy Death Day” where the past continues to haunt the present I’ve seen in other films like the “Fear Street Trilogy.”
I personally have been waiting for the day there is a horror movie that uses time travel like in “Back to the Future ” where you have to fix the past in order to better the future. The only addition I ask within a horror movie is a psycho killer on the loose. “Happy Death Day 2” was probably one of the closest horror movies to really explore that concept. However, I have a hard time deciding whether to consider “Happy Death Day 2” a horror movie when halfway through it felt like I was watching a Sci-Fi movie.
Luckily, after a long wait it, seems I am finally getting my “Back to the Future” horror slasher with the recently released “Totally Killer.”
The film follows the main character Jamie Hughes (played by Kiernan Shipka) who accidently travels back in time to 1987. In order to prevent her mother from getting murdered in the future, she tries to stop the Sweet Sixteen Killer from murdering her mother’s friends.
Going into the film, I did not think much about how they would achieve the time travel aspect. A teenage girl turning a photo booth into a time machine is not something I would have considered. However, I think that since this movie was hyping up the fun, carefree attitude of the 80s an outlandish idea like that only amplifies the fun.
The movie was humorous and mysterious, and a big part of it was thanks to the dialogue. This movie would not have been half as good as it was if it were not for the writing. Playing up the differences between the 1980s and the 2020s was a great idea. Anytime the characters from 1987 did something that would not be viewed as okay nowadays, Jamie was there always commentating on it.
From younger Randy pushing Jamie and her yelling out “unwanted touch” to younger Pam saying “lez” and Jamie making an argument that gay people are cool, the quips were all amazing. It really felt like the movie was calling out the 1980s for being a time of bigotry and ignorance.
Whenever Jamie would try to get certain information or have things go her way, nobody in the past seemed to care about whether what they did was true or legal. I mean, what administration worker hands out another student’s information so freely nowadays?
The other part of this film that I loved was how useless everyone else was in stopping the killer.
Jamie tried her hardest to get her mom’s younger self to understand that they shouldn’t do certain things at risk of being killed. At one point, her mom’s younger self, Pam, even believed her and agreed to stay safe.
However, teenagers will behave and think like teenagers. Drugs, drinks, and sex were the only things running through the minds of all of the characters from 1987. I felt so bad for Jamie, that at one point I thought she should let them die if they were going to be careless like that.
With this being said, this is a really good movie for the spooky season especially for those who are not fans of classic horror movies. This film is anything but terrifying.
Amazon and Blumhouse have made a movie that feels like a perfect mix of the “Scream” reboot and 2020’s “Freaky” with teenage fun and colorful lighting. From the dialogue to the characters, you’ll find something or someone who you are going to enjoy.
Grab your friends and popcorn and watch “Totally Killer” because this year Halloween is leading up to be killer fun.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on X at @MTSUSidelines.
