Gay filmmaker Christopher Landon, son of the late Michael “Little House on the Prairie” Landon, has established himself as writer and director of movies in the horror and thriller genres. He continues that trend with his new movie, “Drop” (Universal/Blumhouse).
Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed mother to 5-year-old Toby (Jacob Robinson), is a survivor of domestic abuse, and a therapist who specializes in treating fellow abuse survivors. After the passage of a few years, Violet is preparing to go on a date with Henry (Brandon Sklenar), a man with whom she has been interacting via a dating app. The date is to take place at Palate, an upscale restaurant on the 38th floor of a Chicago skyscraper.
Henry, a photographer who works for the mayor of Chicago, arrives a few minutes late with his camera bag in tow. While waiting for Henry, Violet interacts with a few different people, including a bartender, a man who mistakes Violet for his blind date, and a man who is supposedly waiting for his sister to arrive.
Once seated, the pair is greeted by Matt (out actor Jeffery Self, who made a name for himself on Logo’s “Jeffery & Cole Casserole,” alongside Cole Escola), a kooky gay waiter/improv actor, and orders are placed. Then Violet is barraged by an endless series of bizarre texts from the digiDrop app, in which the sender insists she perform a series of actions, including accessing and destroying the SD card in Henry’s camera, as well as poisoning his drink. If she doesn’t do as she is instructed, a masked man with a silencer will kill Toby, who is being looked after by Violet’s sister, Jen (Violett Beane).
“Drop” is as much a movie about tech (home video monitoring accessed by phone, ubiquitous CCTV, and of course, phone apps), as it is about solving a mystery and survival. Landon, along with screenwriters Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, have crafted a taut and suspenseful thriller, almost until the very end.
When Violet eventually discovers the source of the terrifying texts a few tables away (he’s a devoted and bloodthirsty employee of the corrupt mayor), “Drop” rapidly descends into madness, including bodies dropping within the restaurant and those dropping out of windows. However, the resourceful Violet is a determined and triumphant fighter, who saves the day in her own distinctive way.
Rating: B
