Totally Killer vs. Time Cut: Which time-travel movie takes the crown?

Horror movies that incorporate time travel offer a unique and spine-tingling twist on the genre and hold a special place in our hearts. They explore the terrifying consequences of meddling with the past and future, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and dread while also keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.

In 2023, Amazon Prime released the slasher Totally Killer, which ended up being a smash hit. It received a generally positive response from audiences and critics, with many calling it one of the best horror movies of that year. I personally would agree, having watched it about three times already. Yes, it's that good, and I will soon be on my fourth watch.

It has a perfect mix of horror and comedy, nostalgic elements, inventive kill scenes and suspenseful moments, strong performances from the cast, and a fast-paced narrative that you couldn't help but be engaged from start to finish. Truthfully, it's a really entertaining movie.

It delves into time travel, and it does a good job of doing so. When the notorious "Sweet Sixteen Killer" resurfaces 35 years after his initial murder spree to target another victim, 17-year-old Jamie accidentally time-travels back in time to 1987, the year of the original killings. While there, she teams up with the teen version of her mom to stop the killer before he can start.

Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) stars in the leading role of Jaime. Olivia Holt, Julia Bowen, Charlie Gillespie, Lochlyn Munro, Troy L. Johnson, Liana Liberato, Randall Park, Kelcey Mawema, and many others are also in the cast.

After having such a good viewing experience watching Totally Killer, I couldn't wait for another horror movie about time travel to come out. Then, there was Netflix's Time Cut, which was released on the streaming platform on Oct. 30, 2024. Although it had a similar plot to Totally Killer, I wasn't complaining. The more horror films about time travel, the better, right? Wrong!

The movie follows a brilliant high school student named Lucy Field, who accidentally time-travels back to 2003, just days before a masked killer takes her sister's life. While there, she tries to stop the killer before they go on their killing spree. However, there are always consequences to time travel, and Lucy must be strategic if she doesn't want to jeopardize the future.

Outer Banks star Madison Bailey takes on the main character role of Lucy Field, while Ginny & Georgia's Antonia Gentry plays Summer Field, Lucy's older sister, who ends up murdered by a killer. The rest of the cast includes Griffin Gluck, Jordan Pettle, Megan Best, Samuel Braun, Sydney Sabiston, Rachael Crawford, and Michael Shanks.

I was really looking forward to watching Time Cut because of the plot and the cast, but I wasn't all that impressed. Was it a bad slasher? No, but it wasn't what I was expecting at all. If I'm being honest, the entire 90-minute film just seemed thrown together. The twist of who the killer was wasn't really a twist because anyone could've seen it coming. And for this movie to be considered a slasher, the kills were not creative at all. I mean, I get it's rated TV-14, but come on, man!

Now, let's talk about the acting. While the acting of the two main leads was great, and Gluck did an amazing job portraying his role as Quinn, the acting of the other cast members was subpar, in my opinion. The ending was very underwhelming, too. I feel like things ended too quickly and that we needed one more shocking bomb or surprise before things wrapped up. Instead, I feel like the writers took the easy way out.

Honestly, the best part of this movie was the incredible soundtrack, which featured songs from the early 2000s, enhancing its nostalgic atmosphere. But I didn't end the movie feeling like I just had the best viewing experience ever. Is it rewatchable? Yes, but I probably won't be rewatching it anytime soon. Instead, I'll be embarking on my fourth rewatch session of Totally Killer. I'm sorry, but Time Cut has nothing on Totally Killer.

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