In a digital age where horror filmmakers often struggle to incorporate smartphones without breaking the suspense, Drop finds a clever workaround: turn the phone itself into the source of terror. Directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day), this taut 95-minute thriller revitalizes the “killer on the line” trope with a modern, chilling twist — and proves that the phone still holds power to scare, even in 2025.
Set almost entirely in a sleek Chicago high-rise restaurant, Drop stars Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus) as Violet, a widow and single mother cautiously stepping into the dating world after years of trauma. She’s meeting Henry (Brandon Sklenar of 1923) after months of texting. At first, everything seems promising. He’s relaxed, charming, and the restaurant is picture-perfect.
But the night quickly spirals into a nightmare.
Shortly after they sit down, Violet receives a threatening message from an anonymous sender on an app called DigiDrop. The messages demand obedience — or her young son, left at home with Violet’s sister (played by Violett Beane), will be harmed. Through her security camera feed, she sees a masked man with a gun hovering near her home. The most terrifying twist? The messages can only be sent from within 50 feet — meaning the perpetrator is inside the restaurant. As Violet scans the room, everyone becomes a suspect: the clumsy bro who bumped into her, the slick waiter, the sympathetic bartender.
Trapped at her table and forbidden from alerting anyone, Violet becomes paralyzed with fear, even as her instincts scream at her to run home. It’s a chilling update of the classic line: “The call is coming from inside the house.”
Though Drop fits squarely into the genre of high-concept, low-budget thrillers, it delivers its suspense with enough polish to keep audiences gripped. It’s knowingly ridiculous at times — especially when Violet, with a gunman outside her toddler’s door, tries to act interested in duck salad — but the film doesn’t overstay its welcome. At just an hour and 35 minutes, it knows when to hang up.
The story also has subtle emotional layers. Violet’s reluctant return to dating is shadowed by memories of spousal abuse, and the film can be read as a metaphor for the dangers of vulnerability in the digital age. Is this just another bad date, or something much worse?
Fahy and Sklenar give grounded, compelling performances that elevate the film beyond its pulpy premise. And while some may scoff at the elaborate criminal plan or wish for more realism, Drop stays effective by tapping into a universal fear — the helplessness of being watched, manipulated, and controlled through the very device we keep closest to us.
At its core, Drop is a parable of phone addiction with a horror twist. Violet could be anyone — a mother, a workaholic, a teen, even a sports fan — all held hostage by the glowing screen in their hands.
As one critic quipped, maybe it’s time someone made a phone-themed thriller called Butt Dial.
“Drop,” a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for strong violent content, suicide, some strong language, and sexual references. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated: ★★½ out of 4.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
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- Paraluman P. Funtanilla#molongui-disabled-link
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla#molongui-disabled-link
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