After a string of flops, it’s nice to see that Blumhouse decided to make a decent movie again!

“Drop” follows a single mother (Meghann Fahy) who goes on a first date, only to begin to receive threatening airdrop messages from an unknown sender. Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Reed Diamond, Gabrielle Ryan, and Jeffery Self also star, as Christopher Landon directs.

I like a lot of Christopher Landon’s work. I was a big fan of his “Freaky” and “Happy Death Day,” and he also co-wrote the likes of “Disturbia” and the “Paranormal Activity” films. He was supposed to direct the upcoming “Scream 7” but dropped out after all the online drama surrounding the studio’s handling of that production became too stressful. And that’s a shame, because Landon has always been good at blending light scares with decent humor, which is “Scream’s” bread and butter. “Drop” is more like a modern Hitchcock than it is one of his normal horror-comedies (he produced this year’s “Heart Eyes” which I very much enjoyed), and despite being pretty light in its stakes and tension, it is still a fun time at the movies.

As our romantic duo, Meghann Fahy and Brando Sklenar have decent chemistry. I thought they do a good job conveying the small awkward pauses that often come with first dates, as well as the classic deadpan comedic banter that comes when you’re trying to feel out the other person’s personality. It’s a shame about the whole murder text thing, because I think these two could carry a romcom.

The film’s whole catch is Fahy receiving mysterious airdrop memes that threaten her, her son at home, and her date. Sometimes the fact the texter seems to see and know everything going on can feel a little silly, but it does allow Landon to explain away the “well why wouldn’t she just do X?” of the situation. There are some tension-filled moments, and since this is all one location it feels like something Alfred Hitchcock would have made if he had been born 50 years later.

While individual segments can be nerve-racking, the film as a whole is never as tight as it could have been. There are never really any moments of true threat, and when we do get an instance of punishment it feels brief and plays like an afterthought. Also because this is PG-13 and made for a specific kind of audience, some of the physical threats/actions feel like Landon pulled some punches to keep things just a touch diluted/safe.

“Drop” is an entertaining thriller that feels *just* out of reach from being something truly memorable and rewatchable, but in the moment it checks all the boxes for being an entertaining time at the theater (and would make for a solid date movie).

Critics Rating: 6/10