The 2025 film Drop is a mystery thriller directed by Christopher Landon starring actors Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklennar, Violett Beane, and Jeffery Self. It was distributed and produced by Blumhouse Productions, Platinum Dunes, and Universal Pictures. The main plot centers around Fahy’s character, a woman named Violet who is a widow and single mother. Trying to get back into the dating scene, Violet goes on a restaurant date with Sklenar’s character, a photographer named Henry, when her night is interrupted by a concerning series of Airdrops. Violet’s mysterious messenger sends her on a tense adventure, all while her sister Jen, who’s babysitting her son back home, is threatened by a co-conspirator.
The Cast And Crew
The cast give solid performances with what they’re given, with Fahy at the center of it all selling a great mixture of fear, confusion, and urgency. She particularly shines in some of Violet’s more vulnerable moments, as she discusses and explores the character’s past with an abusive ex-husband. Sklennar provides a solid performance as well, playing the role of a seemingly nice man who’s mostly unaware of the larger charade ongoing throughout the date night.
Backing up such great performances are the spectacular crew behind the scenes, with a solid score from composer Bear McCreary, known for his work previously on television shows like Black Sails, The Walking Dead, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as several of director Christopher Landon’s previous films. McCreary’s score adds a haunting effect to an already tense situation, made clear by the very opening credits of the film, as the notes play over a series of objects shown throughout the story, such as glass shards and wine glasses. The sequence is mesmerizing from the very start, as the various objects that become relevant later on in the story slowly fall towards the camera against a black background. Cinematographer Marc Spicer and Christopher Landon work together to make several exhilarating action moments that utilize fluid movement in camera work, backed up by unique shifts in lighting for particular moments, such as when Violet is trying to deduce who sent her the messages.
Dazzling Production Design
Through a combination of the great camera work and lighting across various sequences, the film presents a visual spectacle that showcases gorgeous shots of Chicago on top of a solid main set piece within the restaurant where the date takes place. For example, as Violet looks around the restaurant at the potential suspects of the Airdrops, the lighting of the room dims to just a singular spotlight, highlighting the individual she is looking at in the given moment. Similarly isolating techniques are used in certain moments with the sound design, as one particularly deep conversation between Violet and Henry discussing their past traumas removes all of the background noise of the room, focusing solely on their conversation at hand.
The Airdrop messages Violet receives throughout the film are represented by bold white text appearing on the screen, made fancier by the occasional red coloring and the rare sequence of multiple messages showing up at the same time in rapid succession. The buzz of her phone’s vibrate notification accompanies the drops, which adds further tension in the earliest parts of the film where she’s also expecting texts from her sister, sharing the same notification as the drops.
Themes of Trauma
One of the central themes of the film is that of trauma, specifically relationship and familial trauma, explored through both Violet’s job as a therapist for those recovering from abuse, as well as Violet’s own past experience. These sorts of themes aren’t completely unfamiliar in Landon’s work, as he explored parental and familial trauma in his 2017 film Happy Death Day, as well as relationship drama. This exploration of trauma adds further suspense to the commands that Violet receives through the Airdrops, as they push her to further and further extremes as a part of their sickening game. The situation brings back past memories with her ex-husband, especially as the lives of her sister and her son are put at risk. Through a combination of the mystery at the center of the film and the themes of trauma, the story manages to connect several seemingly unconnected scenes presented at the beginning of the story to the larger plot going down within the restaurant.
A Real-Life Mystery
One of the more intriguing aspects of the film is the story that loosely inspired it. Actress Olivia Sui, most well known for her work on the YouTube comedy channel Smosh, was on a date with her boyfriend actor Sam Lerner, known for his work on the comedy sitcom The Goldbergs. The night turned sour when she received multiple Airdrops of Shrek memes without explanation. Following the event, the couple worked with their friend and producer Cameron Fuller to develop and pitch the film.
In an interview with fellow Smosh star Courtney Miller on the URL podcast, Sui discussed the event further, saying she was on vacation with her boyfriend in Italy. The two were out for dinner when Sui received the Airdrop, causing her to look around in confusion, thinking it could’ve just been a prank from a nearby kid. Upon seeing everyone around was an adult, the couple were only further confused, using the situation as inspiration.
A Compelling Thriller
Overall, Drop presents itself as a relatively compelling mystery thriller with phenomenal camera work, a unique use of lighting, and a strong score that adds to the tense situation the characters find themselves in. While the main character’s backstory may be a little bit cliche, the characters are smart throughout, managing to avoid the trope of the “dumb horror protagonist”. Violet especially continuously tries her best to outsmart and escape the situation she finds herself in, whether it be notifying the waitress that she needs help or using the restaurant’s computer to try and call a crisis helpline. The actors bring great performances that really sell the danger they find themselves in, and the mystery at the core of the story is well-structured enough to keep the audience on their toes. Drop can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video or bought from Apple TV and YouTube Movies.
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