Drop (2025) Film Review: Hitchcockian thriller is more style than substance

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First dates are always a nerve-wracking, awkward process, and here is a movie that imagines one of the worst-case scenarios you will be glad is not happening to you.

Violet (Meghann Fahy) is a widowed mother with an abusive past. She chats with handsome Henry (Brandon Sklenar) online for a few months, and she finally decides to bite the bullet and meet up at an upscale (quite literally!) restaurant. However, things quickly take a sinister turn when Violet is bombarded by anonymous threatening messages: murder her date, or her son dies.

Directed by Christopher Landon, known for his horror ventures with Happy Death Day (2017) and Happy Death Day 2U (2019), Drop (2025) presents a modern take on the classic 'whodunnit' style mystery/thriller, where our lead is pressured to commit an obscene act to protect their loved ones.

The film is gripping as our leading lady becomes paranoid about who in the restaurant could be terroising her and why, leading to some stylistic cinematography. There are great uses of the camera feeling like an unwelcome observer, incorporating dynamic movements, and following Violet's every movement like a predator. As she receives several messages, the text is presented onscreen as part of the extravagant scenery, and there are nice instances of creative imagery to convey her terror, such as home CCTV footage appearing as a mosaic in a toilet stall.

Violet and her date attempt to decipher the identity of her viral attacker

All of this leads to the actual date itself feeling even more awkward than normal, with Violet constantly checking her phone and disappearing from the table for prolonged periods of time, much to the confusion of poor Henry. Both actors do a splendid job of making their characters feel authentic and genuine, even though you do start questioning why Henry actually stays for so long when there is clearly something shady about his date.

The narrative does, unfortunately, fall flat towards the final act, becoming silly and predictable. A very obvious red herring is thrown in earlier on regarding the identity of the pursuer, and we are treated to an admittedly fun, yet questionable wrap-up. Things play out a little too safely with some eye-roll-inducing moments and (no spoilers given!) a pretty cringeworthy final scene, which does not do the film any favours. On the surface, it may seem like a tense story with lots of twists and turns, but events become formulaic and 'seen before' by the time we reach the climax.

Despite some writing issues and a familiar structure, Drop clearly has creative passion behind it, with an interesting presentation paired with a solid central performance by Fahy, which distracts from an otherwise flimsy film.

Check out the trailer for Drop (2025) below, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!