Like Happy Death Day and Freaky, Totally Killer is a comedic variation of the slasher film from Blumhouse that asks what it would be like to combine the slasher genre with an iconic comedy film. Nahnatchka Khan brings a witty and suspenseful hand to her time travel slasher that asks the question of what it would be like if Back to the Future had a Max Headroom-masked serial killer killing its characters. We break down the ending in this article, so warning, spoilers ahead.
Like Blumhouse’s previous entries into this kind of film, Totally Killer is fun, combining violent horror and witty comedy to a very entertaining effect. It also benefits from an excellent central performance, in this case from Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, and a plethora of funny jokes and enjoyably brutal set-pieces.
Totally Killer Ending Explained
Jamie, Pam, Blake, and the rest of their friends head back to town to deal with the fallout of events in the cabin and figure out what to do next. With some semblance of signal in her cell phone, a result from a nearby television satellite, Jamie and Teen Lauren figure out they have only seven and a half hours until Jamie will be stuck in 1987 forever.
With the photobooth that Jamie used to go back to 1987 unable to work again, Teen Lauren determines that they need something with considerable gravity in order to propel Jamie back to the present day. Jamie suggests the Quantum Drop ride at the Halloween carnival since it uses speed. Teen Lauren begins to rework the carnival ride in order to turn it into a time machine, while Jamie regroups with the teen version of her mum and her friends in order to stop the killer. They decide to set a trap at a section of the carnival called the Dollhouse of Horrors.
What Happens at the Dollhouse of Horrors?
Pam’s friend Marisa makes her way to the Dollhouse of Horrors, where the killer makes his move and tries to kill her, but Jamie and the rest are ready to save her and stop the killer ahead of time. The killer still proves deadly, managing to overcome everyone until Kara shows up dressed for Halloween as a grim reaper and stabs the killer to death with her scythe which is shown to be far from fake.
READ: Is Totally Killer based on a true crime story?
Jamie removes the mask and reveals that the killer is the nerdy and future school principal Doug, who is now dead. They find a locket around his neck containing a photo of a girl that everyone recognizes as someone they refer to as “Fat Trish”, who was Doug’s girlfriend from a few years previously.
It is revealed that on the night that Trish died, the friend group was trying to figure out if rumors about her having sex with someone else were true, so they got her drunk, but she opted to leave and drove home drunk, dying as a result.
Jamie is disgusted that this happened, especially at the notion her mother was a part of it. Marisa reveals that Jamie’s mother Pam was never there. Pam says she would never do anything like that, but Jamie is confused as to why the killer would promise to get back at Pam someday as evidenced by the note that was left for her declaring she’d be next.
Marisa claims it doesn’t matter anymore anyway as the killer is dead until a second mask-wearing killer reveals themselves and kills Marisa.
A second killer?
Jamie and everyone is confused as to who the killer is since killing Doug in 1987 means that there should be no killer in the present day. In the present, Older Lauren returns home to find Jamie’s best friend and inventor of the original time machine Amelia passed out, and her attempt at a second-time machine has disappeared.
In 1987, the rest of the gang makes a getaway as the killer gives chase. Teen Lauren leads Jamie to the Quantum Drop in order to send Jamie home, as long as the local television news crew still transmits, at which point the killer kills the newsreader Norm Dubusage on live television.
In the Quantum Dome Lauren explains that once the ride is up to speed she has to stay within in it. If she doesn’t Jamie will be thrown against the wall and explode. At that moment the killer shows up. Jamie tells Lauren to get away, which she does, but Pam shows up and tries to help Jamie overcome the killer.
All three are eventually pinned against the wall of the ride. The killer manages to stand and walk his way over to Pam. Jamie manages the same thing and walks over to the controls so she can remove her mother before she is killed. The killer stabs Pam once, but Jamie saves her by exiting her mother from the ride before the killer can strike again.
Who is the second killer?
As a result of his mask being removed, the second killer is revealed to be Chris Dubersage who used the second time machine in the present to come back to 1987. He claims killing his father is a bonus as his future self won’t have to deal with being in the shadow of his father’s successful legacy, and that the second note was written after Pam was killed in the present day.
When Jamie asks why he would do this, his answer is that he wanted to continue the story as it is hard to continue sustaining interest in the story for his true crime podcast when there are only three victims.
He makes one last move to kill Jamie, who manages to overcome him with a nail gun, sending him flying back against the wall of the ride, causing him to explode in a dust of red mist.
Does Jamie return to the present day?
Arriving back in the present day, Jamie is relieved to find her mother alive and reunites with Older Lauren and Amelia. It turns out several things have changed. Jamie’s parents got together much sooner and as a result, Jamie now has an older brother named Jamie and she is now called Collette.
Older Lauren hands Jamie a notebook filled with details of things that have changed as a result of her time travelling which are revealed to the audience as the end credits begin.
What did you think of the ending of the 2023 Prime Video movie Totally Killer? Comment below.
