Drop, from Blumhouse

Here is a tip for the clueless Gen Z guys out there. Turn your phones off when you are out on a date. It shows you are present and interested. Also, if your date turns out to be boring, turning it back on again really makes a statement. Unfortunately, Violet does not have that option. This date will be her first evening away from her young son Toby since they both survived a violent trauma, so she must be reachable at all times. Unfortunately, a mysterious villain reaches out to touch her with text “drops,” threatening Toby, unless she kills her date. To make matters worse, the service is questionable in Christopher Landon’s Blumhouse-produced Drop, which opens tomorrow in theaters.

Violet’s late husband was scary abusive, so she now specializes in counseling fellow survivors. Henry sounded remarkably understanding of her baggage-laden past and her reluctance to return to the dating world, especially for a guy she met on an app, so she finally agreed to a face-to-face dinner. He really pulled out all the stops, booking a window table at Palette, an elegant high-rise restaurant.

Unfortunately, she is soon harassed by untraceable “drops” (much like iPhone “Air Drops”) from an unknown weirdo. When she finally engages, the mystery texter gives her an ultimatum: kill Henry or the hooded intruder in her home will murder Toby. Unfortunately, her remote security cam feed backs up the threat.

First, she sneakily destroys Henry’s sim card loaded with incriminating evidence. However, the prospect of murdering Henry understandably horrifies her, especially since he clearly appears to be a good guy, trying to do the right thing. She tries to stall for time, but the texter obviously hacked Palette’s security cameras, because he always stays one step ahead of her.

Drop is vaguely like a lot of other movies (like maybe Phone Booth or A Fall from Grace) updated for our current era of digital text addiction. However, it still works because of the chemistry shared by Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar, as Violet and Henry. Drop would crater if we cannot accept Henry’s decision to stick with the date, despite her seemingly erratic and potentially wacky behavior. Yet, we can just barely buy into his patience, because they do seem so sympatico—but only just barely.

Still, that is definitely something. In fact, it is just enough. As a bonus, Violett Beane adds some refreshing humor as Violet’s sister and babysitter, Jen. The shadowy villain is also entertainingly sinister, once he finally reveals himself—but, no spoilers.

The ultra-swank design of the restaurant interiors lends the film further credibility. It is also sadly too easy to believe the notion grotesquely Chicago politicians could be implicated in this vicious scheme. Given her history, it might seem strange Violet does not carry a gun. After all, Sidney Prescott considers her gun-ownership logical and necessary in Scream 2022. However, Violet lives in Chicago, where the laws are made by criminals, to protect criminals.

So, yes, this is a terrible first date, but the desert is quite satisfying. Recommended as the kind of energetic thriller that dares viewers to come along for the ride, Drop opens tomorrow (4/11) in theaters, including the Look W57 in New York.