I’ve been waiting six long years for Happy Death Day 3, but director Christopher Landon’s new thriller Drop will make for an adequate subsтιтute in the meantime. Landon made his directorial debut in 2010 with the satirical thriller Burning Palms, lampooning L.A. stereotypes by way of Short Cuts-style hyperlink cinema. This led to his work as a writer and eventually director on the Paranormal Activity sequels before he settled into a niche as one of the most exciting voices in horror comedy with his 2015 feature Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.
Landon’s 2017 time-loop slasher Happy Death Day, in which a young woman relives the day of her murder over and over again and has to figure out who’s responsible, put him on the map. He quickly followed it up with a 2019 sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, which was similarly successful. Landon has confirmed development of a third Happy Death Day film, but it has yet to come together. Instead, Landon has made the body-swap slasher Freaky, the supernatural caper We Have a Ghost, and his latest thriller, Drop.
Drop Is A New Thriller From Happy Death Day’s Director Christopher Landon
Drop Is A High-Concept Mystery About A Date Gone Awry
Drop stars Meghann Fahy as Violet, a single mother who goes on a date with a man named Henry, played by Brandon Sklenar. Initially, the date is going quite well, but then Violet starts receiving a series of sinister messages from an anonymous sender on her phone. The caller demands that she tell nobody about the messages and follow their instructions to the letter or her younger sister and her son will be murdered. The caller’s increasingly evil requests culminate in her being ordered to kill Henry — and she wants to know why.
Drop sounds like a classic high-concept mystery thriller with a modern technological twist.
Based on that premise alone, Drop sounds like a classic high-concept mystery thriller with a modern technological twist. Landon often writes his own scripts, but he directed this one from a screenplay written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach. Much like the Happy Death Day films, Drop is a production of Blumhouse, the masters of low-budget, high-return horror movies. After Drop had its premiere at the SXSW festival on March 9, it’s set to be released in theaters on April 11 — and it’s already shaping up to be one of the best thrillers of the year.
Drop’s Reviews Promise Another Fun Horror Movie Like The Happy Death Day Films
Drop Has An Impressive 87% Score On Rotten Tomatoes
Since its premiere, Drop has garnered positive reviews from critics. It’s earned an impressive “fresh” score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 30 reviews, and Screen Rant’s own Mae Abdulbaki gave it a rating of 8 out of 10, hailing it as the most fun high-concept thriller to come along in a while. Drop’s reviews seem to be promising a fun-filled moviegoing experience on par with Landon’s frighteningly hilarious Happy Death Day films. While the premise sounds predictable, the critics are praising its unpredictable plot that keeps you guessing at every twist and turn.
Drop is Landon’s first project since he dropped out of directing Scream 7.
Landon’s direction has been well-received, demonstrating the same command of tone, pacing, and genre-bending seen in his previous movies. Fahy and Sklenar’s performances in the lead roles have been widely acclaimed for embodying their characters and carrying the movie. By all accounts, Drop is a masterfully crafted suspense thriller that delivers a boatload of fun. Happy Death Day 3 might not get made for a while, but with the same filmmaker at the helm and the same wildly entertaining style, Drop will make a fine subsтιтute.
I Hope Drop Can Help Get Happy Death Day 3 Made
If Drop Is Successful, It Could Lead To Another Happy Death Day
Landon has already pitched a third Happy Death Day movie, so the only thing standing in its way is the need to get Hollywood’s money handlers excited about its commercial prospects. If Drop is a big box office hit, then it could get the producers interested in exploring Landon’s other projects, and that includes Happy Death Day 3. If it’s really successful, it could even encourage audiences to go back and check out the Happy Death Day movies and bring a renewed interest to that franchise (but that might be wishful thinking).
If Drop is a big box office hit, then it could get the producers interested in exploring Landon’s other projects, and that includes Happy Death Day 3.
The positive critical reception to Drop is a promising sign that Landon’s filmmaking is stronger than ever, and that Blumhouse should keep him in their stable to keep pumping out horror hits. With any luck, this will lead to Blumhouse finally giving Happy Death Day 3 the greenlight so Landon can continue the adventures of Tree Gelbman. Either way, Drop is sure to be an awesome little thriller recapturing what made Happy Death Day so great.
