The Big Picture

Nahnatchka Khan follows up her rom-com directorial debut, Always Be My Maybe, with a horror movie, Totally Killer on Prime Video. The movie stars Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, a teenager who travels back in time to 1987 to stop a serial killer before they can commit their first murders. During our Fantastic Fest 2023 interview with Khan, she discusses what made the team at Blumhouse ideal creative partners, what time travel rules she decided to uphold, how they picked that particular mask design for the Sweet Sixteen Killer and more.

After the success of 2019’s Always Be My Maybe, director Nahnatchka Khan returned to the TV format to direct episodes of Young Rock, but now it’s finally time for her second feature film as a director, and it’s something quite different from anything she’s ever worked on before. It’s a slasher movie.

Produced by Blumhouse, Totally Killer stars Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, a teenager who doesn’t appreciate her mother’s (Julie Bowen) overprotectiveness. But, Pam’s got a good reason to be on guard. Back when she was Jamie’s age, the Sweet Sixteen Killer murdered three of her friends. Despite Jamie’s insistence, in this case, the past isn’t in the past. When the Sweet Sixteen Killer reemerges in present day, Jamie gets the opportunity to stop them once and for all — by going back to 1987 to stop the killings before they even start with the help of teen Pam (Olivia Holt).

In celebration of Totally Killer’s world premiere as the closing film of Fantastic Fest 2023, Khan sat down for an interview in Austin to discuss her experience going from rom-coms to a horror movie, why the folks at Blumhouse are standout collaborators and producing partners, to reveal which Totally Killer cast members could actually survive a slasher movie, and so much more. You can hear about it all straight from Khan in the video interview at the top of this article, or you can read the conversation in transcript form below.

Totally Killer is now available to stream on Prime Video.

Image via Blumhouse

PERRI NEMIROFF: This is your first time making a horror movie, so I’ve got a couple of broader questions about the genre to start. First, what was the very first horror movie that terrified you?

NAHNATCHKA KHAN: Exorcist. Definitely. I thought it was terrifying.

I guess you’re gonna see the new one then?

KHAN: I’m gonna see the new one. I mean, now there’s two Exorcist girls!

So that’s the first movie that terrified you, but to add another layer to that, what’s the first movie that scared you but also made you recognize how special that kind of movie magic is, a movie that made you appreciate the power of horror filmmaking?

KHAN: Great question. I would say The Ring. I thought it was terrifying, but I was also like, “This is amazing,” and just great storytelling and visually I was immersed in that world. But then I was living alone at the time and I went home that night, and I had all the lights on and I couldn’t go to sleep, so normally, I would turn on the TV, but if you’ve seen The Ring …

Can’t turn on the TV.

KHAN: That wasn’t an option. [Laughs] So I was just stuck just sitting there with the lights on.

It takes a lot to scare me, but I did take Paranormal Activity home with me where I laid in bed after with the bedroom door cracked open and I remember looking down the hallway waiting for the bathroom light or something to randomly turn on. I kind of like that feeling though!

KHAN: It makes you feel alive! Like you’re firing. All your elements are on.

That’s why I keep coming back for more.

I’ll throw in one more question in this particular category. Of all of the beloved classic horror movies, which one do you think you would have the best chance of surviving?

KHAN: Not many. I’m gonna tell you that right now. I’m for sure one of the first to die in a lot of scenarios. [Laughs] What do I have the best chance of surviving? Maybe Nightmare on Elm Street.

No!

KHAN: Just because I feel like I would just stay awake, you know what I mean? I don’t think I would allow myself – I feel like I’d have control in that situation. I would do whatever it takes. Like you were saying, you only drink coffee, I would just do that plus, like, 1,000.

I will preface this by saying every single answer to this question is wrong, but I feel like eventually your body just shuts down, and then you’re screwed because Freddy is there. I always pick things like running away from Ghostface because I know I can run.

KHAN: No.

But even then I know ultimately, I’ll be wrong and Ghostface will get me.

KHAN: I’ll be overtaken. That’s it. And as I’m overtaken, my last thought would be, “I should have picked Nightmare on Elm Street,” because I have more control. [Laughs]

Here’s a good game for such a fun film with a great ensemble. Sometimes we play a slasher movie survival game. I’ll give you a few slasher movie character tropes and I want you to tell me which actor best fits that descriptor.

Who is the most likely to hear a strange noise, go and investigate, and be the first person to get killed by the slasher?

KHAN: Randall Park. I think Randall Park. I should have thought about that a little more. I feel like that came too quick.

No, that’s what this is about! I feel like the quick answer is the honest answer.

Image via Blumhouse

Who is the most likely to trip and fall while running from the slasher?

KHAN: Aside from me, we’re talking about the cast. Trip and fall? I don’t know, I mean, she’s amazing in the movie, but maybe Julie Bowen. I don’t know!

Who is the most likely to be the last one standing?

KHAN: Kiernan.

Oh, I’d believe that.

KHAN: Kiernan, for sure. She’s so good. Kiernan Shipka, legend. I mean, already. She’s gonna be all the things one day.

Who’s the one who everybody thinks is dead, but shows up at the last possible second to save the day?

KHAN: Right. Like, “Remember me, bitch?” That one? Olivia Holt. Olivia Holt, for sure.

Who is someone who would walk into this scary situation and be like, “Nope, I’m leaving,” or “I give up?”

KHAN: Maybe Liana Liberato. She might just be like, “I’m good.”

She knows what she’s doing, though. She’s like, “I’ve been here before.”

KHAN: “I’ve been here before,” and that’s why she would see the signs and she’d be like, “Turn around.”

So good in Scream 6.

KHAN: Amazing.

I was reading that after Always Be My Maybe you had a meeting with Jason Blum. Was that the kind of situation where you had an interest in genre filmmaking and went to him, or did he have this script and come to you?

KHAN: No, that was just a general, so pre-this script and it was sort of just like, you know, they were fans of Always Be My Maybe, I was a fan of everything they’ve done, and they were sort of just like, “Let’s figure out something together.” I like the idea of mash-ups and after Always Be My Maybe, I definitely felt so happy about what we’d accomplished with that movie that I didn’t want to do just another straight rom-com. And so I was looking to figure out what the next thing was, so we were like, “Let’s keep talking. Let’s figure it out,” and then Totally Killer emerged.

Image via Blumhouse

When you walk away from that meeting, what is something that made you think, “These would be really great creative partners for me?” And now, having had the experience of making a movie with them, what is something they did on Totally Killer that helped you exceed your own expectations for yourself as a director?

KHAN: I think Blumhouse and everybody who works there, the great thing about them is they make movies. They love movies and they make movies, and I think a lot of times certain companies, it’s almost like when they make a movie, they’re forced into making a movie, where it’s like Blumhouse is ready. They’re like, “Let’s go! Let’s make something,” and they’ve got a real passion for it. So I think that was the thing I took away from that initial meeting of like, “Oh, these people are down to play and have a good time and make something cool.”

And then actually making Totally Killer with them, they were just so supportive. We have this big set piece in Act Three with this Gravitron, and we had to go find a Gravitron in Canada and shoot that practically, and they were down. They were down for all of it. They were like, “We get it. This is it.” And so they’re very supportive that way because they like to make movies.

I have a movie magic question about that Gravitron, but before I get too far ahead, I did want to talk a little bit about time travel rules.

What is an example of a rule you saw another time travel movie play by that you liked and wanted to hold tight to here, but then also, what’s a time travel no-no that you wanted to avoid?

KHAN: Well, the thing that we wanted to do here because people are so familiar with time travel and I feel like there are so many rules and people get into that, I wanted it to be that Kiernan is also aware of that. She’s even referencing, she goes back to 1987, but in ‘87, Back to the Future the movie has been released because that came out in ‘85. So I think she’s trying to call upon all these references to other movies to help her explain to people what she’s talking about and why they’re in danger or whatever. And I appreciated that because that felt real to me. Like if we all went back, we’d be like, “Okay, take your favorite time travel movie and apply those rules,” and that’s kind of it. But, you know, I think the idea of just not getting too far down the wormhole but acknowledging there are multiple – and that’s why in our movie, too, it was fun to cut back to present day. So Jamie’s in the past, but then it’s still affecting, seeing those links in real time, I thought was a fun thing.

Image via Blumhouse

Let’s talk a little bit about Kiernan. I was reading in the press notes that in your first meeting, she just got the character. She loved the character and she got it, but there were little things here and there that the two of you worked on together. Can you specify some of those little things that you worked on to further hone the character?

KHAN: I think Kiernan is such an integral part of this movie. Obviously she’s the lead, but she’s playing so many things at once, you know? So she’s got the fun of this time travel element, she’s back in ‘87, and she’s got to navigate that world as a Gen Z person from 2023. But she also has had this – without giving too much away – this very tragic event happening in her life. And so keeping that, not losing that thread, I think that was the thing that she and I, as we went through the script, were sort of like, “Where are we here? There’s all this fun going on, all these balls are in the air, we’re keeping everything alive, and you’re literally trying to run for your life, but, emotionally, where are you?” I think those were the things that we were kind of tracking.

I wish I could sit here and talk about every single person in this ensemble, but because we don’t have time for that, to touch on maybe two more people, of all the other roles in the Totally Killer cast, which one was the easiest to find the perfect fit for, where the right person just magically came to you? But then, on the other hand, which character of the bunch took the most leg work, the widest search to find the right actor for?

KHAN: I think the first one is Olivia for young Pam. I think seeing her audition, she just embodied that 1987 Alpha Girl, but in a funny way. She was all of the things at once, and then seeing her and Kiernan interact, it was just like, that was it. I knew she was that role.

The other roles, it was really filling out the rest of the crew from the ‘80s because I wanted it to be the best actors, so it was wide open. There are red herrings going on, there’s a killer on the loose. If you’re familiar with the genre, somebody is the killer. Who is it? And really trying to hide the ball. So really trying to figure out who gives us that? Who could it possibly be? Who are the misleads? So really putting together the ‘80s ensemble, I think.

Here’s something I love talking about. Terri Taylor was singing your praises as an actor’s director in our press notes, and I always appreciate that. Of everybody in this ensemble, can you name two cast members with completely different approaches to the work where they demand something different from you as their actor’s director?

KHAN: Charlie Gillespie, who plays young Blake, is such a free spirit dude. He and I would just talk about soulful energy of scenes. He wasn’t really about the actual thing, but sort of the vibe of things. And I was like, “Okay, great! Let’s talk vibe.”

So that’s the one spectrum, and then you have other actors that are more like, “Okay, let’s talk through the lines, and let’s figure out …” But also I would say the young actors from the ‘80s, Anna [Diaz] and Stephi [Chin-Salvo], and everybody who plays the Mollys, everybody’s so young so it was really like dialing in the exact right vibe, making sure it didn’t feel like they were acting ‘80s, but rather living there, you know?

Image via Prime Video

This is very specific. I don’t know if you’re going to remember an exact line, but one of the things that impressed me most about their performances is that there are so many lines in this movie that demand pitch-perfect delivery and if that’s not happening, it runs the risk of sounding false or not being funny. Are there any specific lines you were worried about nailing, but the way that it came out on the day worked better than you ever could have imagined?

KHAN: I was just so lucky to work with an incredible cast, truly. They’re so funny but also could pivot right to the Scream Queen element of it. There was this one line, I think when they’re going to the cabin in the middle of the movie, and they’re reminiscing about their friend and they start talking about how she hated giving blowjobs, but the delivery was so empathetic and wistful, and that just made me laugh out loud. You know, talking about your friend and one of the qualities of your greatly missed friend and, you know, “She hated giving blowjobs …” [Laughs]

That was a good callback in the movie right there.

Also, all of Kiernan’s comments about what is not appropriate anymore in present day are handled incredibly well.

KHAN: She was so great at that. And also because it’s like, we’re not trying to say one is right. She’s just saying, “You can’t do this anymore,” you know? And people are like, “What are you talking about?” There is no such thing as PC-ness. But she really handled that with a deft touch.

We’ve got to talk about that mask. Did the mask go through any kind of evolution? What is the biggest difference between the first type of mask that was presented to you and what it wound up being in the finished film?

KHAN: We went through a lot of iterations because, as you know, in slasher movies, you really got to nail that mask. And I think that starting from the place of a handsome man and then sort of being like, “Okay, what does that look like?” Once we landed on that idea then it was sort of this compilation of, “Let’s pull all these references of these ‘80s heartthrobs.” And then Tony Gardner and his team at Alterian, they just started to composite stuff. And so seeing all those versions of everything and then leaning into the fun of it a little bit with The Lost Boys element, that earring. So it’s a little touch of camp, but still scary. And just a handsome man smiling like that with the chin thing? I don’t know, it all sort of started to evolve and it was like, “Okay, we’re liking this. We’re liking this element.” He had to be blonde. For whatever reason, everybody was like, “That makes sense.” But yeah, it was a really fun process.

My two movie magic questions now. First, I wanted to ask about the dodgeball scene. What is the movie magic behind shooting a dodgeball scene? How much is practical and how much is digital so you can capture the chaos of what it’s like playing a dodgeball game?

KHAN: That was such a fun sequence to shoot. We worked with our stunt team, Simon Burnett, who’s our stunt coordinator. So we have stunt performers in there and then we have our actors in there, and we tried to shoot as much practically as we could. There’s just a couple of shots where I just wanted more dodgeballs flying, so we added some additional dodgeballs just flying through. But the actual hits and all that stuff, that was all practical. I wanted it to feel like that scene from Saving Private Ryan when they get off the boat and it’s just like chaos, the chaos of war.

I always wonder about that when I watch dodgeball scenes!

Image via Prime Video

Now back to the Gravitron. Many questions. How much of that is real? Is it actually spinning it? What is it like directing actors if it’s not spinning and they need to fake feeling that force?

KHAN: There are so many elements. So it was a real Gravitron that we found from some carnies in Canada. We brought it onto the stage, we had three days to shoot that final sequence. Wherever our camera’s pointed, the part that you’re not seeing, panels are taken out because we’ve got our cameras in there. So the Gravitron itself is not moving, but our DP, Judd Overton, and his team had a lighting rig going outside because there are small cracks in between the panels, so you can see the lights moving, and that suggests movement. Then we have the practical effects guys in there with blowers to blow, so your hair, that effect of being stuck to the wall is going on, but that can only play when dialogue is not playing because that would not be good for sound. Everybody’s got their element in there. And we have wire work, we’ve got the stunts going, so when they get thrown back, that’s wires pulling everybody back. It’s just all choreographed. We storyboarded that sequence, we rehearsed it, we did previs for it. So we knew exactly, “How do they get on?” When she presses the button and it starts moving, the door is still open, “How fast does it start going?” And then, when the door closes, then it picks up speed. It’s crazy.

I don’t wanna spoil one of your first big chase scenes, but it is incredible and it does have very effective classic slasher chase vibes. Having done that scene and done it so well, what is one “do” and one “do not” you would give to another director about to direct their first slasher chase scene?

KHAN: I think really working through the choreography of that. And also, how do you want it to feel? For me, a reference like Atomic Blonde made a lot of sense because I think, for some reason, when women are fighting, I think being close to them, having the camera close, and giving a sense of intimacy helps those sequences. Or maybe it’s just me, but I feel like I’m right there, and I feel like, “Oh shit, what would I do?” And a lot of beautiful action sequences, Mission: Impossible, you have those wide shots and it looks amazing, but I would just be like, what’s the feeling you’re trying to get through here and convey?

Image via Blumhouse

You have quite a few good set pieces here. I’m trying so hard not to go too far, but the waterbed did get a mention in our press notes, and that’s another movie magic feat.

KHAN: I’m so excited for that one, for people to see that because that also was a practical location. That was a lovely couple’s house that we were shooting in and we had to construct our own water bed so our production designer, Liz Kay, made this kind of flat that went over the bed, and we had as many practical elements as we could so when you’d actually stab it the water is actually going. We had blood capsules in there. And then you would enhance it in the post. It always just looks great as much as you can get.

Is that something you can only shoot once and hope you get it, or can you actually reset that and do it again?

KHAN: If you reset that, that would have been like a whole other day, so you’d have to come back the next day. We shot that once and we had, I think, five cameras going.

I want to end on a Fantastic Fest question because I know you’ve been here a couple of days. One of my favorite things about being at this festival is it seems to be an environment where people feel inspired by what they’re watching. Of everything you’ve seen at Fantastic Fest, can you pinpoint a specific thing another filmmaker did that made you think to yourself, “Wow, that inspires me to swing that big in the future?

KHAN: It’s funny, I think because I’ve been living in the ‘80s world with this movie, I saw a movie yesterday from 1984 that was shot on all camcorder called Blonde Death. Have you seen it?

I have not seen it, but I saw it on the line-up and was bummed to be missing out.

KHAN: I absolutely loved it, and I just think the tone of it, it’s so funny. Again, there’s stuff in that movie that you could never do today, you could never say today, but just the sense of awareness that that movie had. They were making it for themselves almost, and that confidence, I just loved it. I just thought it was so funny, so well done, and so inspirational.