Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Totally Killer.
The Big Picture
- Totally Killer is a meta-horror movie that pays homage to 1980s slasher and sci-fi flicks, combining the elements of Back To The Future, Halloween, and Scream.
- The film features a twist ending that reveals two Sweet Sixteen Killers, one motivated by revenge and the other seeking fame through the murders.
- The protagonist, Jamie, successfully defeats the killers and changes the timeline, resulting in a happy ending, which is uncommon for slasher films.
If we could write the ultimate love letter to horror tropes and 1980s slasher and sci-fi flicks, it would be the plot of Totally Killer. It was directed by Nahnatchka Khan and released as a Prime Video original. Totally Killer has been slashing its way into horror-loving hearts and providing audiences with a new meta-horror movie to make out their entire personality. Totally Killer is an ode to Back To The Future, Halloween, and at some points even Scream, which is a killer combination that will have this film cemented as a favorite for years to come. But what happens in the end? Is the final girl victorious or does the killer prevail? Let’s break it down.
What Is ‘Totally Killer’ About?
In Totally Killer, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) is living in a stereotypical horror movie family. It’s Halloween night and her parents are worried about her going out because 35 years ago, three of their friends were murdered by a masked killer. That masked killer is known as the Sweet Sixteen Killer. Just as horror tropes go, Jamie convinces her parents that she will be fine and, of course, she ends up coming face-to-face with the Sweet Sixteen Killer. Here is where the mash-up between horror and science fiction intersects. Jamie hides in a time machine and is transported back to 1987 right before the murders happened. Now, it’s up to Jamie to figure out how to stop the Sweet Sixteen Killer and do it all before the night is up, or she will be stuck in 1987 forever.
How Does ‘Totally Killer’ End?
Totally Killer does a great job of twisting the ending to reveal not one, but two Sweet Sixteen Killers! When Jamie travels back in time, she meets her mother (Olivia Holt) and her high school friends. Her mom and her friends were all mean girls who got Trish drunk which led to her death via a drunken accident. It is this unfortunate event that made Doug, Jamie’s principal in the future and Trish’s ex-boyfriend in the past, spiral out of control and become one of the Sweet Sixteen Killers. Jamie’s gang figured out it was Doug after they led him into the amusement park and were ambushed by Jamie and the gang. However, this still doesn’t explain why Jamie’s mother, Pam, received a death note. Doug only blamed Marisa, Tiffany, and Heather for Trish’s death, so what does Pam have to do with it, and why does she get killed in the future?
We don’t have to wait too long for the answer to that question, as the second killer is revealed. The second killer is none other than Chris, the podcast guy. There’s a joke in there about guys and starting podcasts, I’m sure of it! Chris’ motives for becoming a killer were entirely self-absorbed. He wanted fame and celebrity status for the murders and felt that to do that, he had to refresh the case and create more murders. To Chris, content is truly king, so he took matters into his own hands and befriended Pam in the future before killing her. From there, he kills Amelia and uses the time machine to travel back to 1987 in order to kill Jamie to make sure he doesn’t get caught. As if the plot and tropes weren’t already pointing to horror movies like Halloween, Chris specifically mentions that he wishes to be immortal like Michael Myers. I guess he hasn’t seen Halloween Ends. Chris and Jamie are eventually in a one-on-one battle, which is very final girl of her. In the midst, Chris stabs Pam and this is the ultimate moment of motivation for Jamie to kick Chris in the Quantum Drop ride and kill him. Now Jamie is free to travel back to the future and see what awaits her.
How Does The ‘Totally Killer’ Ending Change Jamie’s Future?
Now that Jamie has successfully killed the TWO Sweet Sixteen Killers, she can return to normalcy… or so she thinks! Living in 2023, Jamie should know that you can’t change the past without affecting the future. Her mother, Pam, is alive, but Jamie isn’t an only child anymore. Pam and Jamie’s dad are still together, but with this new timeline, they got together much sooner. This means that Jamie now has an older brother named Jamie, and she’s not even named Jamie anymore, she’s Collette! Amelia is alive and Pam no longer has a strained relationship with her mother. This proves that the easiest way to fix a strained relationship with a parent is to simply travel back in time and stop a serial killer. Easy enough! Totally Killer’s ending is a very happy one, which isn’t something slasher fans are used to.
Are There Any Killer Easter Eggs In The Movie?
Looking back, there are things that stand out in Totally Killer that could’ve pointed to who donned the mask of the Sweet Sixteen Killers. Chris being so eager to get involved or know any information about the case is a dead giveaway. Granted, other horror movies in the past have provided this obvious clue and the killer still wasn’t the obsessed, but we could’ve potentially guessed. He was incredibly invested in what Jamie was doing once he learned about the time machine and showed obvious resentment when it was mentioned his father was a Pulitzer Prize winner. It’s these feelings of inadequacy that drove Chris to kill. Doug, on the other hand, didn’t come across as obsessive, and he was considered to be a boring loner. The lack of interest in the case and his innocent facade can’t trick the horror lover though! He was seen at Tiffany’s party the night that he killed her, even though he wasn’t invited. He also mentions taking karate, something that would help him defend himself against those he sought revenge on. In Totally Killer, the killer group consists of one that makes total sense and is almost too obvious and one that is underwhelming and no one suspects.
It’s that dichotomy that makes Totally Killer such a fun watch. The nostalgia of being set in the 1980s and following a masked killer makes this film feel like a familiar favorite even though it’s fresh and new. That’s the beauty of meta-horror; it follows the rules, makes us laugh, and still keeps us in suspense of what’s going to happen. There isn’t a sequel announced for this movie, but the possibility is always there.
Totally Killer is available to stream now on Prime Video.
