“TOTALLY KILLER” MIXES HORROR WITH TIME TRAVEL FOR A GORY COMEDY

The horror genre is constantly trying to find new ways to bring folks to the theater. The heyday was in the 80s for sure. It has moments of being on top again with innovative takes like “The Blair Witch Project” or the “Scream” series, but it always seems to trail off again quickly. It is an unfortunate cycle that they will eventually fall back into the same tropes and jump scares that got them where they are. “Scream” reset the horror movie with its harkening back to the 80s slasher flicks while adding in a bit of tongue-in-cheek attitude to make you laugh in the middle of screaming. Some films are following that formula with a bit more twist by taking other movies and using them as a template. The latest, and in my opinion one of the better films for both shock and laughter is “Freaky” where a teen and serial killer switch bodies ala “Freaky Friday”. If you haven’t seen it you need to get it in your Halloween watch list. It now has a companion piece to set up a double feature with Amazon Prime’s “Totally Killer”. Like “Freaky” it mashes up horror with another genre to give it a fun twist. Apparently, there isn’t a trailer without …. coarse language so maybe watch this at home after the kids are in bed.

You get to meet Jaimie Hughes played by Keirnan Shipka who is your typical mouthy teen in her rebellious stage of becoming independent. She listens to metal from a terrible influence, goes to concerts with the intent to be bad, takes weed gummies. Worst of all she talks back to her mother in a way too mean to be tolerated. Halloween is a tough time for her parents as her mom’s best friends were killed when they were in high school by a serial killer dubbed “The Sweet 16 Killer”. After a heated argument her mother Pam, played by Julie Bowen is killed by the same killer that has returned 35 years later to finish the task. This is where it gets fun! Her friend Amelia invents a time machine for the school science fair based on her mother’s designs. Due to unforeseen circumstances Jaimie is accidently able to activate the time machine that sends her back to 1987 just before the murders are about to happen. Can she stop her mom from dying in the future by stopping the killer back then? That’s what the movie runs on, but don’t be fooled. This is not some cute comedy just for laughs.

“Totally Killer” has what horror fans are looking for: scares and gore. There is no shortage of bloody kills in this film as it taps deep into those roots from its 80s predecessors. It balances that well with shots of comedy that is both topical and time appropriate. Sure, the time machine concept is hokey, but it serves as a great vehicle that even pokes fun at itself. They even make sure to point out that this is more “Back to the Future” time travel than “Avengers: End Game”. They play with both ends of the time stream and allude to inside jokes to both franchises. They also poke at some of the horror franchises with allusions to masks and rules to follow. Imagine the horror movie rules mixed with the time traveler rules! The story will keep you guessing all the way through as red herrings are plentiful and wonderfully scattered. You’ll have fun laughing one moment and cringing the next as Jaimie tries to right the wrongs without blowing up her future existence. Shipka plays the part masterfully and so does Olivia Holt as her mom in her teen years. This movie mixes “BTTF” masterfully with “Scream” and you are glad to be there for it. One of the things I liked best was that even though they traveled to the 80s they didn’t try to cram everything down your throat with catch phrases and fashion costumes. It felt very casual that they just were being who we were back then. They stayed focused on the story and made fun of different beliefs when it came to men and women and changing times yet how silly we can sound now being overly cautious of hurting someone’s feelings. This is definitely one to watch and maybe go back and watch it a second time to see what you maybe missed. No matter whether you like horror or comedy this will satisfy both sides of your emotional standards and maybe even surprisingly touch your heart as well.