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One of the most famous quotes from Alfred Hitchcock is “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” That’s why he was the Master of Suspense. That’s also why using this method of storytelling has since become known as Hitchcockian.The seemingly ceaseless building of tension is nothing if the resolution falls flat, though, which has unfortunately happened with plenty of thrillers. It’s a very thin and wobbly tightrope for filmmakers to tread. Yet, when it succeeds, it can be so satisfying. The latest thriller to try is Drop.Violet (Meghann Fahy) is a single mother and a psychiatrist who specializes in helping abused women, because she herself is a survivor. She has decided it’s time to try getting back out there, and is finally going to meet Henry (Brandon Sklenar), who she’s been chatting with for three months, in real life.Violet arrives at the restaurant early, and while waiting she gets a series of mysterious messages sent to her phone. The sender is using a program called DigiDrop, which means they have to be somewhere in the restaurant. They can see and hear her, and are demanding she help them kill Henry or they will kill her son.Directed by Christopher Landon (the Happy Death Day duology, Freaky), Drop is a tense and inventive Hitchcockian thriller that pretty much sticks the landing while giving the Suspense Master’s style a digital upgrade.Landon knows how inherently dull a film concentrated on two people talking and getting to know each other can be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great for a film like My Dinner with Andre, but not terrific for a movie trying to keep you on the edge of your seat.To compensate for the talky script, Landon uses all kinds of tricks from the filmmaking catalog. Dimming the lights to emphasize moments, spotlighting characters, dropping the ambient noise, creative camera angles/movements and, most fun, how the messages Violet’s phone receives are displayed across the screen (keep an eye on the bathroom mirrors).Landon and screenwriters Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach also pepper the proceedings with plenty of red herrings, keeping the guesses as to the sender’s identity bouncing around from side character to side character.Fahy does a great job with all of the emotional states she has to go through, sometimes in the same moments. Sklenar, on the other hand, feels a little stiff, but I’m less familiar with his work than Fahy’s, so it’s difficult to tell if this was an acting choice to show first date jitters or just his general acting.As I mentioned, this is a talky script, which did make it feel like it was dragging a little around the midpoint, but only a little before the tension ratcheted back up, again.Drop is a well-crafted and very crafty little thriller that’s a step above your average popcorn flick.