Drop (2025) Movie Review

Drop (2025) Movie Review

Gone are the days of the bid-budget thriller playing in cinemas nationwide. In the 1990s we saw the rise of the thriller genre thanks to films such as; Fatal Attraction, Unlawful Entry, Basic Instinct and Seven. This continued into the early 2000s however, there was a drop-off at the box office, with audiences just not turning up anymore. Although we have seen a handful of hits since with ‘Gone Girl’, ‘The Girl on The Train’ and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, that aped off the success of the novels on which they were based on. Whilst thrillers still get released, they have largely been relegated to streaming services. Thankfully, director Christopher Landon has bought the thriller back to the big screen for the modern age with ‘Drop’ this year.

Landon has made a name for himself in recent years, with his genre bending films ‘Happy Death Day’ and its sequel ‘Happy Death Day 2 U’ and ‘Freaky’, which blended elements of Groundhog Day and Freaky respectively, to create a whole new horror/comedy sub-genre for the modern age. Here he lends his skill to the thriller genre, still employing his trademark whit and charm to his direction, but in a very different way. The film is led by Meghann Fahy who plays Violet Gates, a Chicago therapist and widowed mother trying to re-enter the dating world after the traumatic death of her abusive husband. On her first date in years with a charming photographer named Henry (played by Brandon Sklenar), Violet begins receiving strange and increasingly threatening messages via "Digi-Drops"—airdrop-style memes from an anonymous sender. As the evening unfolds in a high-rise restaurant, the messages escalate, revealing that her young son and sister are being held hostage. The mysterious sender, calling themselves “Let’s Play,” forces Violet into a series of morally harrowing tasks—including stealing evidence from Henry and even contemplating poisoning him—all while under constant surveillance. Trapped in a psychological game of cat and mouse, Violet must uncover the identity of her tormentor before the night ends in tragedy. As a fan of the director, cast and the premise, I was excited to see Drop on the big-screen and can report, it’s worth your time!

As mentioned, the thriller genre has been baron for years, and seeing a new, thoughtful entry like ‘Drop’, it was a breath of fresh air. As alluded to, Christopher Landon plays into his strengths as a director, playing off the cat and mouse aspect, whilst also giving us, comedic side characters, humorous exchanges between characters and fun settings for set pieces. I would compare this film to Wes Craven’s 2005 thriller ‘Red Eye’. A limited setting, sinister character, and humorous side bards from its supporting cast. I can’t help but feel that Landon has been heavily inspired by this film. The set-pieces here are fun, and the cat and mouse aspect kept me on my toes the entire time, trying to work out who was behind the drops and who Violet could trust.

The other strengths of the film lie in its two leads, who are really charming and fantastically paired together on screen. Meghann Fahy stood out in Season 2 of Mike White’s endlessly entertaining and hugely popular HBO series ‘The White Lotus’. Even with a huge ensemble cast in this season, Fahy shined through, proving to be a force in front of the camera. Here, she has to do a lot of heavy lifting as the films lead. She has to sell deep concern over the events unfolding, but do her best to remain calm, collected and normal in front of her date Henry. She sells both beautifully, showcasing her range as an actress. Everyone’s dream casting of Batman/Bruce Wayne in James Gunn’s rebooted DC universe, Brandon Sklenar, plays Henry, a photographer to the mayor. He also does a great job here, selling his likeability, following recent roles in ‘It Ends with Us’, ‘The Offer’ and ‘Emily The Criminal’. He’s really quite good here and does a lot with his performance, making for a likeable co-lead with Meghann Fahy. There really isn’t too many other cast members I can talk about without giving away the films twist, so best to say everyone else plays their role perfectly, but the focal point its definitely these two in the leads.

‘Drop’ sees Christopher Landon play into his strengths as a director, with another genre-bending thriller, that harkens back to a simpler time. The films feel like the appropriate blend of the 90s and early 00s thrillers. Meghann Fahy is fantastic in the title role, showing she’s a powerhouse and a talent to watch. It doesn’t break new ground, it just feels like the return of a dormant niche in the market, and I’m all for it. Definitely worth the watch! Be sure to secure your copy from Sanity today on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K Ultra HD, you won’t want to miss it!

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Christopher Pattison from Oz-Movie Geek wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here.