After years without romance, a widowed mother finally meets her handsome date at an upscale restaurant. What begins as a promising evening slowly unravels when her phone starts receiving disturbing anonymous messages, turning her excitement to irritation and eventually genuine fear. A film by Christopher Landon, starring Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Reed Diamond, Violett Beane, Jeffery Self, Jacob Robinson, Gabrielle Ryan, Ed Weeks, and Travis Nelson.

Therapist Violet (Meghann Fahy) has finally started dating again through an app, connecting with Henry though they’ve never met in person. It comes years after surviving her abusive husband Blake (Michael Shea), who took his own life, leaving her to face accusations from his family who believe she was responsible for his death.

When Violet finally agrees to meet Henry in person, she asks her sister Jen (Violett Beane) to watch her son Toby (Jacob Robinson) at home. As the evening approaches, Violet grows anxious and nearly cancels, feeling she should stay with Toby instead. Jen reassures her sister that she can handle things on her own and Violet should go and have fun.

Upon arriving at the upscale restaurant Palate, Violet receives a message from Henry saying he’ll be running ten minutes late. He urges her not to leave and suggests she order something expensive at the bar while waiting. As Violet settles in, her phone lights up with several image sharing digiDROPs from someone called “Let’s_Play.” She ignores them all, declining each notification as it appears.

When Henry (Brandon Sklenar) finally arrives, they’re seated at his reserved table near the window. Violet places her phone on the table, explaining that she hasn’t been out since her son was born and wants to keep an eye on messages from her sister in case of an emergency. Another digiDROP notification appears, and Violet decides to show it to Henry. He initially dismisses it as just someone in the restaurant pulling a prank. But as more digiDROPs keep coming through, the content grows increasingly menacing, leaving Violet visibly unsettled.

When Let’s_Play sends a message with no image attached, curiosity gets the better of Violet and she clicks accept, unwittingly granting this stranger permission to message her directly. The message tells her to check her security cameras immediately. Violet swipes through the camera feeds on her phone and freezes in terror when she spots a hooded intruder standing in her kitchen, gripping a gun.

Violet then receives another message warning her to keep quiet. When she tries to call 911, a flurry of new messages interrupts her, revealing that her phone has been cloned and Let’s_Play can see everything she does. The messages grow more threatening, with Let’s_Play promising to kill her son if she calls the police, leaves the restaurant, or tells anyone what’s happening.

Let’s_Play gives Violet an ultimatum to retrieve the SD card from Henry’s camera in exchange for her son’s safety. Thinking quickly, Violet creates a distraction, telling Henry her treasured watch must have fallen off somewhere in the restaurant. While he searches, she frantically opens his camera bag and examines his camera, discovering photos of the Chicago mayor alongside financial documents on the SD card. She destroys the card as instructed, believing this will end the nightmare. Instead, Let’s_Play escalates with a horrifying new demand that she must kill Henry or her son will die.

Directed by American filmmaker Christopher Landon from a screenplay by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, DROP delivers an exhilarating thriller experience largely contained within a single restaurant setting.

The film captivates with its visual appeal and intriguing premise, building tension masterfully through simple yet effective rules. The well crafted limitations prevent the protagonist from leaving the restaurant while forcing her to complete an impossible mission under duress.

The setup evokes Wes Craven’s 2005 film Red Eye, with an antagonist forcing the protagonist to comply by threatening her father’s life. But DROP takes this concept further by keeping the villain completely anonymous, their identity hidden until the final act.

The suspense keeps us guessing about who might be the mastermind behind the terror lurking within these walls. The restaurant staff includes hostess (Sarah McCormack) who manages reservations while monitoring everything from her station, bartender Cara (Gabrielle Ryan) mixing drinks behind the bar, in-house pianist Phil (Ed Weeks) entertaining diners with melody, and flamboyant waiter Matt (Jeffery Self) serving tables. Among the guests, we find Connor (Travis Nelson) who claims he’s waiting for his sister and Richard (Reed Diamond) who is on a blind date. Any person could be responsible for what’s happening.

DROP premiered at SXSW on 9 March 2025. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 11 April, by Universal Pictures.