Film

Totally Killer

Name: Totally Killer
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Science Fiction
Released: 2023
Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Lochlyn Munro, Charlie Gillespie

A teen slasher-comedy that sends its heroine back to 1987 to stop a serial killer before he starts his spree. It's lighter and breezier than it sounds, more interested in '80s nostalgia riffs and character chemistry than genuine scares. Ideal for viewers who want horror movie tropes played for laughs, not dread.

TMDb rating

3.4

If you liked this

Happy Death Day2017

Like Totally Killer, it layers time loops with slasher conventions and finds comedy in the collision. Smart enough to know the formula is fun, it pairs genuine affection for horror with serial killer mystery you actually want to solve.

But The tone can feel uneven—it's never quite sure if you should be scared or laughing, and not every joke lands. Some viewers want horror to commit to one mood.

Freaky2020

A body-swap slasher that shares Totally Killer's DNA: the joy of watching someone from the present navigate a different era's rules, funny without winking, and genuinely inventive about its premise. Same director as Happy Death Day, so you know the vibe works.

But It's less focused on the time-travel element and more on the body-swap farce, which some find exhausting rather than charming. The humour skews younger.

The Cabin in the Woods2012

A horror-comedy that deconstructs slasher tropes from the inside with tremendous warmth and imagination. It's clever without being smug, scary without forgetting the fun, and reveals its hand brilliantly as it goes.

But The premise is more conceptually ambitious than emotionally grounded. If you want genuine scares or character depth, it prioritises ideas over either.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Totally Killer

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Heathers1989

Both are comedies built on the scaffolding of teen murder: the genre mechanics, the high school setting, the killer targeting young people. Heathers invented the register; Totally Killer inherited it.

Technically a dark teen comedy about a high school murder spree, Heathers is the spiritual godparent to what Totally Killer is doing. It's vicious, funny, genuinely smart, and utterly committed to its tone—the ancestor this film is riffing on without saying so.

But It's far meaner-spirited and darker than Totally Killer; the humour is pitch-black and the violence matters. If you want warmth with your comedy, this is ice-cold.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil2010

Inverts the slasher formula entirely: the 'hillbilly killers' are actually nice guys, and the college kids are the threat. It's funny, warm-hearted, and has real affection for horror and its own characters—everything Totally Killer aspires to.

But The premise can feel like a one-joke premise stretched thin. Some find the comedy broad rather than sharp, especially as the film goes on.

Lisa Frankenstein2024

A recent horror-comedy that, like Totally Killer, uses genre as a vehicle for teen emotion and character. It's gonzo and surprisingly sweet, with the same willingness to be both ridiculous and genuinely touching.

But It's deliberately strange and uneven in tone. If you're looking for clean narrative throughlines, this deliberately jagged approach will frustrate you.

Ready or Not2019

A dark comedy-thriller that wraps genre entertainment around real stakes and character vulnerability. It's tense, funny, and never condescends to either the horror or comedy side—the tonal balance is immaculate.

But It's significantly darker and more violent than Totally Killer. If you want your slasher played mostly for laughs, this skews meaner and nastier.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon2006

A mockumentary about a serial killer who's meticulously mimicking slasher-movie logic. It's a love letter to horror films that's funny, clever, and surprisingly intelligent about why these movies work and what they reveal about us.

But The found-footage/mockumentary format feels dated now. It's also more interested in deconstructing horror than in delivering scares or consistent comedy.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon poster

What We Do in the Shadows2014

A mockumentary about vampire flatmates navigating mundane life. Same DNA as Totally Killer—genre comedy played with affection and genuine heart, where the characters matter as much as the jokes.

But It's essentially character-driven comedy that happens to use vampire tropes, so if you want sustained scares or plot momentum, it will feel slack and aimless.

The Terminator1984

The mechanism is the same: a young person goes back in time to stop a killer (or prevent a killing). Terminator does it for survival and existential stakes; Totally Killer does it for comedy and character. Same engine, utterly different fuel.

A time-travel action film where someone from the future arrives in the past to prevent a catastrophe. Strip away Totally Killer's comedy and slasher framework, and the skeleton is identical: temporal paradox, protecting someone marked for death, learning to fight fate.

But It's a serious, tense action thriller with no comedy at all. The pace is relentless and the tone is grim—fundamentally different in how it wants you to feel, despite identical plot DNA.

Ghostbusters II1989

Both films are comedies that treat their era (the '80s) as a character and a resource for humour, finding comedy in how people dressed, talked, and thought then. Both use period detail as a springboard for affection, not mockery.

A film that plays comedy in the '80s while constantly referencing and riffing on '80s culture, using nostalgia not as a trap but as shorthand for character and humour. It has the same tone of affectionate pop-culture fluency that makes Totally Killer work.

But It's chaotic and structurally loose, and some stretches feel padded. It's more interested in jokes and character than plot coherence, which reads as messy if you want tight storytelling.