[REVIEW] SXSW 2025: ‘Drop’ It’s Hard Not to Fall for This One

Sharai Bohannon

8 months ago

Many genre fans know Christopher Landon from his wildly popular slashers (like Happy Death Day, Freaky) and his time in the Paranormal Activity universe. Because he’s carved out a name for himself in these two very different horror arenas, most of us leaned in when we heard Drop would be a thriller. I’m happy to report that Landon’s newest film has the energy of Wes Craven’s Red Eye. Elder millennials like myself might also feel a similar vibe to Robert Zemeckis’ What Lies Beneath chaotic conclusion. It is the kind of thriller that’s unafraid to go off the rails and swing big. Luckily, the payoff is huge and a compelling entry to an overstuffed subgenre. Drop breathes new life into the first-date-gone-wrong films and reinvigorates the mystery genre. It feels like a Hitchcockian fever dream filtered through a modern day lens.

A Fresh Take on the Thriller Genre

Drop is a surprisingly cool take on domestic abuse survivors woven into a thrilling narrative of a woman who is forced into a situation where she can trust no one. A single mother who survived an abusive ex-husband goes on her first date in years. She soon discovers that her first-date jitters are the least of her worries when she begins receiving anonymous drops on her phone. As the drops get more terrifying, she soon realizes that her son and sister’s lives hang in the balance as a mysterious tormentor forces her to carry out a chilling plan on her date.

Violet (Meghann Fahy) wins us over immediately. We have all either been an abused woman, witnessed the abuse, or have seen the end results in the news. So, we instinctively want to root for her as Fahy begins making her a relatable survivor. She’s funny, smart, cool, and grounded and is easily everything more women characters should be. Fahy is also captivating as she drives this film to the out-of-this-world ending while having so much thrown on her plate. She navigates the humor, guilt, fear, and shame spiral as she ascends to her place as a badass. I also appreciate that while Violet’s past is central to the story, she is never a helpless victim. It is giving a final girl who survived her slasher and will carry those lessons with her instead of starting at square one for the sequels.

Her supporting cast is also very fun and filled with red herrings that make you doubt your prime suspect. Is the culprit her hot date, Henry (Brandon Sklenar), who has been very patient and understanding with a woman he is only meeting in person for the first time? Is it the cool bartender Cara (Gabrielle Ryan) who has kept an eye on Violet’s date? Or is it the many other characters she has encountered in this fancy restaurant? Because Drop is a proper mystery, it makes everyone seem like the perfect suspect. Which I enjoy as someone who sees a lot of predictable movies just lazily hand you the culprit in the first five minutes.

Stunning Cinematography Elevates the Mystery

Another thing working in Drop’s favor is Marc Spicer’s sexy cinematography. The film is a feast for the eyes as it continually pans the opulent restaurant. The use of reflections captured in windows is stunning. The camera work adds a layer of spectacle that supports the narrative and makes it impossible to look away for a second out of fear you might miss another cool angle or shot. Jillian Jacobs and Christopher Roach have written a tight whodunnit that works on its own. However, the dazzling visuals are the icing on the decadent cake.

Drop is fun, sophisticated, dangerous, and over the top in all the right ways. It is definitely worth checking out in a theater to see all of the jaw-dropping mayhem unfold.

Drop falls into theaters on April 11.