Horror and thrillers are nothing new to Christopher Landon. The filmmaker has been at since the late 90s, and the man just knows how to roll with the times. His script for Paranormal Activity showcased how to bring horror back to its Blair Witch roots, and Landon decided to leap into director to realize fully his creative voice. Drop, the latest film from Landon, is another example of the director taking a simple premise and making it a wild ride.
Drop, directed by Landon and written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, pits a widowed mother against the wall with a terrible choice. Violet, played by Meghann Fahy, goes out on her first date with Henry, played by Brandon Sklenar. When the two meet for a lovely dinner and hopefully a connection, Violet receives a terrifying drop message. “Kill the man in front of you, or your son will die.” Violet has to find out who is behind this and how to save her son while doing everything in her power to keep Brandon alive.
One aspect of Drop that should be applauded is Landon’s direction. The filmmaker fully brought me into the restaurant, giving me a complete atmospheric immersion. The film doesn’t overindulge itself with CGI but relies on classic camera and lens tricks and lighting to set the mood just right. Additionally, Drop goes further to get you in the right mindset to match Violet’s panic, fear, and determination level.
In several scenes, Landon sets the camera at the right angle to use the background and foreground to convey what Violet is mentally going through. It’s done in a pulpy way to keep the scene alive and tacks on some Hitchcockian flare to drive it home. In some scenarios, Landon uses Hitchcock’s “Bomb Theory” to ramp up the intensity. Examples like this occur when Violet is finding ways to signal help or methods to deliver a killing “blow” to Henry. Honestly, it left me white-knuckling during these moments in Drop.
The script also works well for the film.
I’ll be straightforward and say that my opinion of the movie was not very flattering when I first saw the trailer for Drop. I didn’t expect a tight script with something to say about survivor’s guilt. Violet faced a traumatic time in her life that would break anyone. Jacobs and Roach explore that in a way that showcases that just making it to the next day should be acknowledged.
The script explores little pieces of that notion throughout the film until it comes to a crucial moment between Violet and Henry. The two confess their hardship to one another, and this helps build a well-deserved connection. It’s a display that the movie isn’t some shlocky forgettable flick and has a message to say about survivors of toxic and abusive relationships. Of course, none of this would’ve stuck the landing if it was not for Fahy’s acting.
90-95% of the movie follows Fahy, and none of that is wasted. She carried the film and was able to show real talent during dramatic and sometimes comedic moments. There was never a time during Drop when I felt any stiffness in her acting, or she was overdoing it. Her character goes through all these emotional hurdles while trying to keep it together and keep her son safe. It all snowballs into the crucial confessions between her and Henry, and then Fahy flips on that “bad-ass” heroine switch that turns the table on the movie’s antagonist.
Drop was an unexpected thrill to watch. Landon continues to have an eye for filmmaking that keeps the movie’s pacing on an accelerated level while allowing me to absorb everything on screen. Jacobs and Roach used a simple and modern technological concept as a jumping-off point for an expertly crafted underlying message. Although the mystery is revealed and the killer’s plan is convoluted, it’s all ultimately forgiven because the movie is just that damn good.