Get your slashing knives and screams ready, because Totally Killer is coming to Prime Video this year – and this is what we know so far.
Plenty of horror comedies have taken over the world and become significant hits, from Happy Death Day and its sequel to the hilarious The Blackening – heck, you could probably even consider Beau is Afraid a horror comedy, as strange as it is. Now, though, we will talk about Totally Killer, the new horror comedy starring Kiernan Shipka.
But when is the film coming out? And who else will star? What could it be about? For all the questions you have, here are some answers.
What Is The Totally Killer Release Date?
Get ready, horror movie fans, because Totally Killer is releasing on October 6th, 2023, according to Prime Video.
Remember that this could change at some point due to the ongoing WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike, but if it holds well, we'll have a fun horror comedy on our hands that comes out just in time for the Halloween season. October has plenty of major releases coming out as part of the 2023 movie schedule, such as Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and Damsel on Netflix. Even The Exorcist: Believer is due then.
However, there don't seem to be that many horror comedies releasing, so Totally Killer looks like it'll stand out amongst the competition. Even so, the release date could change, so we'll keep an eye on it.
Totally Killer Stars A Huge Ensemble Cast Including Kiernan Shipka, Julie Bowen And More
If you were wondering who stars in Totally Killer, we also have you covered. Prime Video confirmed several significant names.
As mentioned above, Kiernan Shipka is the main star. The actress is primarily known for her leading role as Sabrina Spellman in Netflix's The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina cast, a role she reprised in Season 6 of Riverdale, which takes place in the same universe.
Besides that, the talent has appeared in various roles on shows including the AMC drama Mad Men, Feud: Bette and Joan, and even voiced the underrated character Jinora in The Legend of Korra. Besides that, she's appeared in films like The Silence, Wildflower, Flowers in the Attic, and more.
Joining Shipka are several other actors who will co-star; all confirmed by the streamer. These include Julie Bowen, Olivia Holt, Charlie Gillespie, Lochlyn Munro, Troy L. Johnson, Liana Liberato, Kelcey Mawema, Stephie Chin-Salvo, Ella Choi, Jeremy Monn-Djasngar, Anna Diaz, Nathaniel Appiah, Jonathan Potts and Randall Park.
Talk about a ridiculous level of stars in one cast. I have a feeling that Totally Killer will be totally fun – alright, I'll stop with the puns.
Totally Killer Is A Time-Traveling Horror-Comedy Movie
With any horror comedy, the plot is always essential, and with Totally Killer, it sounds like we will go on a wild, time-defying ride.
The service confirmed that the plot of Totally Killer follows the story of Jamie, a 17-year-old who comes face to face with a masked maniac titled the "Sweet Sixteen Killer," who is making his first appearance in more than 35 years, after the murderer killed three teens on Halloween night back in the eighties.
Jamie is on the run for her life, but while trying to survive, she somehow travels back to 1987, the same year the original killings began. Trying to figure out how to get home and survive the night, Jaime finds her mother in her teenage years and decides to take out the killer with her, so the original deaths never happen.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan to promote the movie in August 2023, Kiernan Shipka spoke about her character and how the film also tells how Jamie "discovers how brave she is" through this terrifying experience:
Jamie is a very modern teen girl - she’s flawed, spends too much time on her phone and is not yet thinking about the bigger picture of her life. All of the sudden, she’s forced to grow up very quickly to take control of her situation and through this awakening, discovers how brave she is.
I'm already down for this movie, so I will gladly follow Jamie along on this ride.
Nahnatchka Khan Directed The Feature
The next thing the streamer confirmed is that Nahnatchka Khan directed Totally Killer. The director is primarily known for her work on Don't Trust the B— in Apartment 23, Fresh Off the Boat, and Young Rock. She also directed the rom-com, Always Be My Maybe on Netflix, starring Ali Wong and Randall Park.
Khan spoke about the horror comedy in that Cosmopolitan article, saying how she enjoyed this switch in direction for her in terms of genre, and the elements of horror, comedy, and time travel were so fun to use in the film:
I've always been a fan of genre mash-ups and love the crossover of slasher/horror and comedy - the idea of creating tension and a real threat and then using comedy as a release valve was really appealing to me. And on top of that, adding in the time travel and the '80s and the meta-ness of someone from 2023 traveling back in time having seen movies about other people traveling back in time...there were so many fun elements and dynamics I was excited to play with.
I'm really loving the sound of this movie!
Blumhouse Television Produced The Film
Lastly, a Deadline article in May 2022 confirmed that Blumhouse Television, a section of Blumhouse Productions, produced the film – which is excellent news.
Any horror fan knows that Blumhouse is a king of horror movies and has produced some of the biggest films of the last decade. Some of its most famous films include the Insidious franchise, the Paranormal Activity movies, the Halloween series, Freaky, the fantastic Jordan Peele movie, Get Out, the 2023 hit M3GAN (which is receiving a sequel), and more.
Blumhouse has two other films coming out the same month as Totally Killer too – the aforementioned The Exorcist: Believer and the highly anticipated Five Nights at Freddy's. The company knows its horror very well – and I can't wait to see what they do.
Totally Killer is a little over a month away as of late August 2023, and I can't wait to be scared out of my mind before laughing my butt off right after. Bring on the chills and thrills.
