Drop

Rated PG-13 • Theaters

Hitchcockian. That’s the best adjective to describe Drop from Blumhouse Productions and veteran horror director Christopher Landon. It’s a taut thriller that will keep audiences guessing as to what’s going on and why.

Violet (Meghann Fahy) is a widowed mother of a 5-year-old boy, who’s nervous about going on her first date in a long time. She meets Henry (Brandon Sklenar) at a swanky high-rise restaurant, and the two hit it off immediately. But then Violet starts receiving strange “drop” messages on her phone from an unknown sender. The plot escalates quickly when the messages become threatening. Violet’s told that if she doesn’t poison her date, her son will die. She must navigate a frightening situation without alerting her date, while simultaneously trying to discern who’s terrorizing her.

In lesser hands this film could have turned gimmicky, but the setup makes clever use of technology and keeps the tension high without resorting to cheap scares. Most of the action takes place within the round dining area of the restaurant where Violet—and the audience—are faced with a limited number of options for who’s within range to drop these messages. Every brief interaction with a restaurant employee or another guest is loaded with intrigue as Violet tries to figure a way out without alerting her tormentor.

Drop is an homage to the thrillers of yesteryear. For much of the movie, the terror remains psychological, and the glittering trappings of the fine-dining experience recall the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Unconventional camerawork, along with a host of familiar tropes, furthers the impression that someone was channeling Alfred Hitchcock while designing Drop’s twists and turns.

There’s also much to be said for the leads. The fact that Violet and Henry seem like characters from a light-hearted romantic comedy who have found themselves in the wrong movie adds to Drop’s mind-bending character.

Disappointingly, the end of the film devolves into the kind of conventional action scene found in contemporary movies, but that blemish doesn’t detract much from this tense, intellectual puzzle of a thriller.

Drop is rated PG-13 for violence, suspense, and a brief expletive.