DROP

I feel no qualms sharing as much of the film's story as I did in the above synopsis because, well, the film's producers didn't seem to mind doing the same in the 2:30 trailer that was released for the film earlier this year (embedded above). It even reveals who's going to die. That's a shame, because it spoils so much of what's in store in the film. Because we already have a good idea of Violet's motivations, all that's left to guess is who the bad guy is. There also aren't that many candidates, making the thriller element of this film a bit of a bust.

You may also wonder how, in the entirety of the synopsis, is the film's title relevant? Well, that's also another unnecessary plot reveal, again on full display in the trailer. What's probably one of the film's most thrilling moments is sacrificed for the sake of its title, another huge letdown for anyone who's seen any of the marketing associated with the movie.

The other major issue I have with this script is the use of domestic violence as a plot point for entertainment. There are ways to use DV in films to create awareness and show control being averted, but here it feels like it's being used as nothing more than a cheap plot point. It's been revealed that the story originated from a real-life experience of the writers receiving hostile Airdrops, so it's apparent that the DV storyline has only been added as a "hot topic" issue that will grab audiences' attentions. The opening scene, particularly, is far too liberal with its display of physical abuse from Violet's partner, which left an unpleasant taste in my mouth for the rest of the movie whenever the topic was mentioned.

That's a real shame because there are actually some stellar performances among the mess. Fahy does an amazing job of holding this film together, given that her major co-star is her phone for the vast majority of the run time (the other contender, Sklenar, is fine but a bit flat, but then his character isn't given much to work with). She's reasonably restrained in her performance, bringing authenticity to what could have been an at-best average character. For someone who's on-screen very little, the restaurant's bartender, played by Gabrielle Ryan (TV's 'Power Book IV: Force', Netflix's 'Bonding') makes quite the impression.

In keeping with Blumhouse's low-budget formula, we have essentially two locations here: Violet's house and the restaurant. On the whole, director Christopher Landon (Blumhouse's 'Freaky', 'Happy Death Day' and 'Happy Death Day 2U') and cinematographer Marc Spicer ('Escape Room', 'Lights Out') make creative use of these spaces - particularly the limited and open space of the latter, while finding innovative ways to display the text messages on-screen. However, the character vignettes are incredibly distracting; at times, they're used to introduce a character, at others they're an attempt to build drama, but they get old very quickly.

For venturing outside its typical horror territory, Blumhouse has played it a little too safe with 'Drop'. It's nothing we haven't seen before in its other thriller offerings like 1979's 'When A Stranger Calls', 1996's 'Scream' (which was successful by riffing on those same ideas in new and unique ways) or Blumhouse's own 'Unfriended'. There are moments of genuine dread; these mostly take place in the moments that haven't already been spoilt in the all-too-revealing trailer. 'Drop' will inevitably find its target audience - those younger and less cinematically savvy - but it's a problematic, derivative movie worth watching only for a handful of compelling performances.