“Drop” is the latest from writer-director Christopher Landon, the filmmaker who helmed both “Happy Death Day” movies. He also penned the “Paranormal Activity” series and the slasher comedy “Heart Eyes” from earlier this year. His latest serving is a much different dish. “Drop” is an old-school Hitchcockian thriller that is firmly planted in our modern era of social media, memes, iPhones, and AirDrops.

Written by the duo of Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, “Drop” begins by introducing us to a widowed single mother named Violet Gates (Meghann Fahy). Since the traumatic death of her husband, Violet has poured all of herself into helping survivors of abuse and most importantly taking care of her young son Toby (Jacob Robinson).

At the urging of her supportive younger sister Jen (Violett Beane), Violet reluctantly agrees to go on a date with a hunky photographer named Henry Campbell (Brandon Sklenar). The two have never met in person but connected three months earlier on a dating app. They finally agree to meet up at the Palate, a swanky restaurant on the 38th floor of a downtown skyrise. The evening starts nicely as the two navigate their mutual nervous attraction. But it changes after Violet starts receiving a flood of anonymous messages on her phone.

The messages start as obnoxious pranks but quickly turn more sinister. They’re sent to her through Digidrop (the movies version of Apple’s AirDrop) which means the sender has to be somewhere within the restaurant. Henry tries to help Violet figure out who’s doing it but to no avail. Then she receives the most terrifying message at all – she’s ordered to kill her date.

Violet immediately refuses. But when the mysterious antagonist shares an image of a masked henchman inside her house, she’s caught between two horrific outcomes – agree and murder an innocent man who seems to genuinely care for her or disagree and risk the lives of her son and sister. From there “Drop” blends mystery will thrills as Violet tries to figure out the identity of her terrorizer while doing everything she can to outsmart him or her.

There’s a really throwback quality to “Drop” that comes through in its straightforward entertainment value as well as its silliness. Not everything holds up to scrutiny, especially the holes in the plot’s logic and some slight pacing issues. But Landon leaves us with little down-time to overthink things. And he knows what he has in Fahy and Sklenar whose commitment and chemistry helps to elevate the sometimes shaky material.

“Drop” is an efficient and fun date-night thriller that doesn’t ask or expect too much from its audience. It’s pure, straight-shooting entertainment and I can’t help but appreciate it for knowing exactly what it is. Landon does a good job keeping everything on track while Fahy and Sklenar keep us involved enough to actually care about their characters. The movie may not have the staying power to stick with you long after the credits, but you’ll have enough fun watching it to make it well worth the price of a ticket.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS