Drop Review: Is Blumhouse's Pseudo-Suspense Thriller a Heartthrobbing Date?

 

Copyright © Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Platinum Dunes

Title: Drop

Director: Christopher Landon

Release Date: April 11, 2025

    Peacock got another one of Blumhouse's recent entries in the line. Under Universal, this company is well-known for producing horror movies, but this one is not really marked as part of the genre. It is more of a thriller with a suspenseful vibe. This movie is called Drop, the horror-adjacent movie starring Meghann Fahy and Branden Sklenar. Released back three months ago, the movie gained a $28.5 million success against an $11 million budget, as well as positive reviews from critics and audiences. It stood out for its original concept, lead performances, and tight pacing. Being a tech date in a matter of 95 minutes, Drop is an exhilarating ride full of guesses and stylish visuals.

Summary

   "Violet is a widowed mother who goes to an upscale restaurant to meet Henry, her charming and handsome date. However, her pleasant evening soon turns into a living nightmare when she receives phone messages from a mysterious, hooded figure who threatens to kill her young son and sister unless she kills Henry." - Google

Reasons

    A handful of the best text messages from Drop are the original story, eye-catching visuals, and enjoyable action. For the most part, the concept is something that went out of the box, and it worked with its smart points. The app, DigiDrop, is a plot device done well to stir up the problem. Compared to most thriller movies, it doesn't use the male savior trope, so that Violet can control the narrative. Moving forward to texting, the visuals are simply that stylish. Instead of just zooming on Violet's phone, it uses the texts, memes, and videos as an editing tool. During the date, the cinematography is something from a cheesy romantic movie, except it is done with more tension. When you go to the climax, the action is sharply entertaining. I mean, the movie is not necessarily an action-filled thriller, but it shows when the restaurant goes berserk. In a well-choreographed fashion, the combat is done to save Violet's family from murder.
    The other great text messages from Drop are the romantic chemistry, snappy dialogue, and tight pacing. Violet and Henry's chemistry starts out charming, then questionable in the middle, and it is finally saved with a rescue toast. Throughout their date, their exchanges and body language feel natural. Even though she followed the user's text messages, she would rather save her family and her boyfriend. Because exchanges were mentioned, the dialogue solidly shows the characters personalities. Violet's awkward exchanges with Henry and the restaurant staff's interactions with the situation sprinkle on the movie's enthusiasm. If I could include it, the anonymous messages are short but dangerous enough to force Violet into the game. Lastly, the 95-minute runtime is an easy watch. Albeit done on a one-day date, it doesn't have any filler to pad out the length, and it reveals the tension when it is ready to. An hour and 30 minutes is the norm for most movies, but for this one, it felt more like a 1-hour movie because of the date.
    Though the movie was a great story, Drop does have its cringe attachments, like the villain's motivation, unanswered plot points, and Henry's character. Why did the mysterious killer want to kill Violet's family? Maybe it is just for the sake of being evil. Speaking of whom, they did not even show any details, especially the masked man's identity. Even if the film is meant to be simple, it still needs its points stuffed up. As the final part, Henry would have fleshed out more other than just being Violet's date. We get what he does as a hobby, but for everything else, he doesn't have any other qualities that make him stand out as a character.

Conclusion

    Out from Blumhouse's library of the year, Drop is a unique date with tech causing tension and thrills. Besides, it works as a good horror/suspense-adjacent movie because it uses texting as a scary element. The creative concept is well executed with nice visuals and intense action. It just needs to fill up its plot holes and flesh out Henry as a proper character to become a better movie. If you have Peacock Premium, check this one out if you are interested enough to do it.

    Score: 7.5/10 (yahtzee!)