Totally Killer - A Movie Review

You never know what future people will need you.

Totally Killer time traveled to Amazon Prime in 2023. 35 years after the infamous ‘Sweet Sixteen Killer’ murder spree, the killer returns killing its fourth victim. 17-year-old Jaime travels back in time to 1987 determined to prevent the murders from ever happening.

Time travel and horror sound like the perfect combination, right? That’s what I was looking forward to in Totally Killer. After watching it, I had mixed feelings. The film falls short of excitement, has bland characters, and becomes a commercial for advertising how moral standards have changed.

Jaime (Kiernan Shipka) is out for revenge. She starts as your typical teenager who refuses to listen to her mom. Following a tragic event, Jaimie will not stop to change the past. But then... that’s about it with her character.

Once Jaime travels back to 1987, she talks about how things are different in the future, particularly banned pop culture topics. Jaime becomes a record player repeatedly telling the other characters what not to do. Shipka did a good job in the role but she becomes too much of the pop culture police than a real character.

My favorite part of Totally Killer is Jaime meeting her mom as a teenager. Expecting her to be the kind survivalist/helicopter parent like in the present, instead, Pam (Olivia Holt) isn’t a friendly person. That’s a good twist. You don’t often see that in time travel films.

As for the rest of the characters - they’re somewhat annoying. The characters are stereotypical, uttering dumb dialogue. Regardless of the characters, Totally Killer has a good ensemble. Charlie Gillespie, Lochlyn Munro, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Liana Liberato, Nathaniel Appiah, and Julie Bowen do a good job in their roles.

Nahnatchka Khan created an engaging storyline involving a transformation of the 80s and infuses horror. The premise sets the stage for some genuinely suspenseful and entertaining moments. The beginning is scary as a character battles against the killer. Take caution, this film is violent and gory.

Surprisingly, Totally Killer lacks excitement for the rest of the film. Everything happens a little too easily. Jaime has little time before her chance is ruined to return to the future but she is not worried about it. The humor doesn’t work at times.

Totally Killer reminded me of films like Happy Death Day and Freaky. Oh yes, this film has Back to the Future meets Scream vibes written all over it. I love time travel films because you can invent several creative concepts from them.

One other aspect that Totally Killer gets carried away with is its history lesson on how pop culture, technology, and morals have changed. That’s not what this film is about! We understand that the world has changed since the 80s. We only need a couple of instances instead of Jaime complaining about every little detail.

Excitement returns as Jaime’s return to the future is hindered by the killer. Taking place on a fast ride, special effects are infused into the scene. Creative juices also come back.

Nahnatchka adds clever story devices. While Jaime is stuck in the past, we return to the present day to see what the characters are up to. With the twist at the film's end, this wasn’t a good idea. The story should have focused on the 80s storyline the entire time.

Sadly, Totally Killer is a bland film. There are aspects that I liked but something was missing. Watch Totally Killer on Amazon Prime and maybe you’ll have a different opinion than me.