Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Drop (2025)
After seeing director Christopher Landon’sDrop, viewers should seek out the underrated 2005 thrillerRed Eye, a Wes Craven movie that inspired the tense psychological horror.Dropis a tense, thrilling horror byHappy Death Daydirector Christopher Landon. Like that earlier hit,Dropblends horror tropes with familiar rom-com conventions in its nerve-shredding story of a widow who goes on her first date in years with a charming photographer at a high-end restaurant.
The catch is that some anonymous prankster starts sending her drops and, before long, this unseen villain reveals that they have a masked gunman in the heroine’s house. From this point untilDrop’s twist ending, Meghann Fahy’s heroine Violet is put through a grueling ordeal as she must fight to save her son by following this unseen villain’s orders, all while avoiding detection by her unassuming date. Before long, the villain lands Violet with an ultimatum. Either she poisons her date’s drink, or her son will die.
Drop Was Inspired By Wes Craven’s Red Eye From 2005
Drop Director Christopher Landon Credited The Underrated Horror Movie
Although there are a fewunanswered questions afterDrop’s ending, few viewers will care. Landon’s thriller is too immersive for viewers to get invested in plot holes, as Fahy’s dazzling performance takes viewers on a thrill ride through the first date from hell. Although there are few thrillers constructed likeDrop, with its unlikely blend of rom-com humor and tense, violent thrills,Landon cited 2005’s underrated Wes Craven movieRed Eyeas a major influence onDrop.
Red Eye benefits from Craven’s typically skilled direction, but it is the two central turns from McAdams and Murphy that truly bring the twisted premise to life.
This early Cillian Murphy vehicle saw the future Oscar winner play Jackson Ripner, a charismatic airline passenger who ends up seated beside Rachel McAdams’ sweet, unassuming heroine. Unfortunately for her, Ripner soon reveals he’s really a dangerous criminal, and she will need to follow his every whispered instruction if she wants to survive the flight.This underrated 2005 thrillerbenefits from Craven’s typically skilled direction, but it is the two central turns from McAdams and Murphy that truly bring the twisted premise to life.
Why Fans Of Christopher Landon’s Drop Should Check Out Red Eye
Drop And Red Eye Share Tense, Unpredictable Horror Thriller Plots
OnIndieWire’s “Filmmaker’s Toolkit” podcast, Landon noted that directingDropfelt like kismet after his more direct Wes Craven homage fell through. Originally, Landon was tapped to directScream 7in late 2023 with Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera in the slasher sequel’s lead roles. Barrera was fired from that project for voicing her political opinion on social media and Ortega exited soon after, leading Landon to finally leaveScream 7a month later. Per Landon,Dropfelt like it was “The Wes movie I was supposed to make,” afterScream’s sequel fell apart.
While a version ofScream 7without Ortega’s Tara and Barrera’s Samwill arrive in 2026, the project is now being directed by Kevin Williamson.Drop’s critical and commercial success seemingly proves that Landon chose the right project, with the movie proving a perfect tribute to Craven’s underrated psychological thriller two decades afterRed Eye’s original release. Viewers who enjoyDropshould seek outRed Eye, as the influence of Wes Craven’s lone location thriller is palpable throughout Christopher Landon’s successful horror rom-com hybrid.
Source: “Filmmaker’s Toolkit” podcast (viaIndieWire)
