Dating is a fertile ground for pulse-racing horror. The thrill of falling for someone new and hot can turn scary if they become obsessive, as seen in Fear or The Boy Next Door. Messy romantic attachments can turn us into ravenous monsters, like in Jennifer's Body, Bones and All, or Only Lovers Left Alive. The very threat of trusting someone new with your heart — and your life — can trigger true terror, like in Fresh, Ready or Not, and the recently released slasher Heart Eyes. So where does Drop, which is helmed by Heart Eyes screenwriter Christopher Landon, fit into this enticing subgenre? By unfurling a tech-savvy metaphor for abusive dynamics.
Landon — who has written and/or directed a string of hit high-concept horror movies, including the time-loop slasher Happy Death Day, its sequel Happy Death Day 2, and the body-swap slasher Freaky — brings his skill for suspense and love of genre-blending to Drop.
The setup seems the stuff of a touching romantic comedy. White Lotus' Meghann Fahy stars as Violet, a hopeful single mom who's going on her first date in years with a dashing photographer named Henry (Brandon Sklenar). But not long after they've met up at a chic high-rise restaurant, she begins getting pinged by harassing airdropped memes. Here, the terror of the psychological thriller sinks in, pushing its bright heroine to make life-or-death choices while an aggressively chipper waiter (Jeffery Self) provides manic comic relief.
But what does Drop have to say about the dangers of dating in the era of being chronically online? Plenty — and subtly.
Drop parallels two abusive relationships as a warning to filmgoers.
Written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, Drop begins in the middle of a brutal battle between Violet and a violent man with a gun. It seems certain someone will die in this conflict, and the audience is pitched into confusion. Are we in media res — starting in the middle of the story, film noir-style, to tease the tension of assured danger? Or is this a past incident that will inform the film's present?
The answer is revealed as Violet's pleasant veneer breaks in the face of traumatizing flashbacks. Because she was once the victim of domestic violence, her IRL date with a man she's been talking with online for months comes with a lot of anxiety. However, she and Henry hit it off, joking, flirting, and deciding to share a bottle of wine and truffled mashed potatoes with their entrees. Their carefree connection is threatened when someone with the username lets_play begins to airdrop Violet some menacing memes, demanding her undivided attention.
At first, these memes are a welcome talking point that she shares with her date. He's game to figure out who might be toying with her. Could it be the friendly bartender (Gabrielle Ryan), the sleazy piano player (Ed Weeks), or the gaggle of prom night teens giggling at a table nearby? But things turns deadly serious once Violet sees on her nanny cam livestream that there's a masked intruder in her home, lurking behind her oblivious sister (Violett Beane) and up the stairs to her little boy's bedroom.
The anonymous cyberstalker texts that if she doesn't do as they say, her son will be killed. This bid for control forces Violet to put up a wall between her and Henry. Her new abuser is swiftly isolating her, cutting her off from calling out for help while exerting threats of violence. Understandably, she feels trapped, as it's clear this stalker is watching her every move. Yet beyond this cyber-interpretation of an abusive relationship, Drop proves a smartly plotted cat-and-mouse thriller — even when it gets pretty dumb.
Meghann Fahy is a terrific leading lady in Drop.
In White Lotus, Fahy awed audiences as a blithe wife confronted by her husband's infidelity. In Drop, her character is far more guarded, motivated to protect her heart from breaking and her son from another bad father figure. There's an aching earnestness as Violet approaches the bar, desperate to have fun and exude hopefulness and happiness. So, when the texts go from goofy to gruesome, the terror in her eyes hits all the harder. It's like Violet's very worst fears couldn't come close to her vile reality.
But a fire within Fahy's eyes signals her audience she won't go down without a fight. Lending support to her riveting performance — and her character's harrowing quest — is a gaggle of terrific supporting players who bring the colorful world of this restaurant to life. As her debonair date, Sklenar gives a strong jaw and sincere gazes. As the aforementioned piano player and bartender, Weeks and Ryan prove sharp foils. Where he is swaggering with an ooze of seediness, she is no-nonsense with a kind smile that speaks to a girl's girl awareness. As a bumbling boomer on a blind date, Reed Diamond brings a comic awkwardness, but Self as the overly enthusiastic waiter had the audience at the SXSW world premiere in stitches. If you've ever had a delicate conversation intruded on by an overeager waiter, you'll chuckle. If you've been that waiter, you may well cackle.
And a special shout-out is deserved for Violett Beane, who perfectly captures cool aunt energy as she watches over the heroine's bespectacled 5-year-old son, Toby (Jacob Robinson). Beane swiftly establishes the family dynamic by swapping from razzing her sister's abysmal fashion choices ("Did you mean to dress like a candy cane?") to lunging into play with her little nephew. And when the masked man comes creeping in, she'll give Final Girl energy, bringing jaw-dropping suspense to Drop's final act.
Solidly fun, Drop is a great date night movie.
Jacobs and Roach's script is so full of twists that while you may see some coming, others will undoubtedly catch you by sweet surprise. The ensemble Landon has brought together is as entertainingly lively as those he directed in Happy Death Day, Happy Death Day 2U, and Freaky. Whether relishing in the situational comedy of an awkward first date or combatting mysterious and malevolent forces, Drop's characters are a demented pleasure to watch.
All of these successes mean that Drop is charming enough to make up for its biggest flaw. In the climax, when the plot takes a big swing with a dubious but pivotal kill, you might well eye-roll over the unlikelihood of such a demise, but you won't get the ick.
Drop was reviewed out the 2025 SXSW film and television festival; the movie will open in theaters April 11.
