Drop (2025)

User Review

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  ScreenZealots

  6 / 10

  “Drop” is one of those thrillers you go into with modest expectations and walk away genuinely surprised. This film is so, so much better than it has any right to be. It’s not a masterpiece in the genre by any means, but the film delivers a tense, tightly-wound experience that feels unsettlingly plausible in our hyper-connected digital age.
  
  Widowed mom Violet (Meghann Fahy) is off to a swanky Chicago restaurant for her first blind date in years. She’s nervous to leave her 5-year-old son Toby (Jacob Robinson), but her sister Jen (Violett Beane) has signed up to come over for babysitting duty. It starts out as a promising evening with the handsome photographer Henry (Brandon Sklenar), but this doomed first date spirals into a nightmarish ordeal when anonymous, highly threatening messages begin dropping onto Violet’s phone. As the intensity increases, it becomes clear that the anonymous texter has no problem killing her sister and son back at home.
  
  The simplicity of the film’s premise is what makes it so effective. The film leans into modern technology in a way that’s genuinely chilling because it feels like something that could actually happen. It’s the kind of story that leaves you double-checking your phone settings (go ahead and make sure the AirDrop function on your phone is turned off), and everything about it is downright spooky.
  
  What works especially well is how the narrative keeps you guessing. There are solid twists and turns, but they never feel forced or outlandish. It strikes that tricky balance where the escalating danger is intense without becoming cartoonish, and by the time the final directive drops (and Violet is forced to contemplate the unthinkable) you’re fully invested.
  
  Making the process of carrying a film feel effortless, Fahy turns in a fantastic lead performance. She’s totally believable as a traumatized, widowed mother cautiously stepping back into the dating world. She brings intelligence, vulnerability, and quiet resilience to the role, and her performance elevates the film beyond its genre trappings. She’s not your typical thriller protagonist, as her character makes smart choices under pressure. And as Violet’s backstory gradually unfolds, her motivations for playing along with the tormentor’s sadistic game feel grounded and believable.
  
  Christopher Landon‘s direction is equally confident, and the film has a sleek, moody aesthetic that complements its tension. He makes the most of the confined space of the upscale restaurant setting, and it’s clever how he visualizes the digital aspects of the film so the audience doesn’t just see characters reading texts off their phone screen.
  
  “Drop” is a lot of fun because it engages viewers in a way that will make them ask “what would I do if I found myself in Violet’s shoes?,” and all of the film’s elements are also solidly put together. The results is an effective, nerve-jangling thriller for the smartphone age.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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