Aahana Swrup
The Netflix teen horror film ‘Time Cut‘ blends time-travel and slasher elements to deliver an electrifyingly spooky story. The film follows Lucy, a high schooler with a knack for invention, who stumbles across a time machine that transports her to the year 2003. Coincidentally, it’s the same year when a mysterious serial killer brutally murdered her older sister, Summer, whom she never got to meet. Consequently, stuck two decades in the past, Lucy has the opportunity to stop the killer and save her sister’s life. Yet, by doing so, she would be putting the pesky space-time continuum at risk. Thus, with a killer on the loose and world-altering responsibilities on her shoulders, the teenager finds herself in for a wild ride.
Directed by Hannah Macpherson, the film spans the genre while offering a compelling horror that plays into the levity of its premise. Therefore, if the film has endeared you to the teen-horror genre with clever concepts, here is a list of movies similar to ‘Time Cut’ that you may enjoy!
10. Detention (2011)
‘Detention,’ directed by Joseph Kahn, is a black comedy horror film that thrives in its high school setting. A bloodthirsty killer dresses up as “Cinderhella,” a popular movie villain, and hunts the grounds of Grizzly Lake High School in search of victims. As a result, some of the patent troublemakers, including Clapton Davis, Sander Sanderson, Riley Jones, and others, earn detention as their headmaster suspects them of the recent mayhem. However, in detention, the group of misfits learns jarring secrets about the school—and the world—as they attempt to survive the mysterious killer’s reign. ‘Detention’ gleefully parodies teen-horror tropes, equipping various eccentric elements along the way—from body swap and doomsday to time travel hijinks. As such, if ‘Time Cut’ unearthed your love for funny horror revolving around teenagers, then ‘Detention’ would be worth your while.
9. The Babysitter (2017)
‘The Babysitter‘ is a slasher horror film directed by McG that equips an engaging cast of characters and a dark comedy narrative to present a memorable tale. The story revolves around Cole, a 12-year-old boy sorely lacking in popularity points who is in love with his babysitter, Bee. Consequently, while he’s home alone with the older girl one night, Cole stays past his bedtime to spy on Bee. However, much to his surprise, the boy learns that Bee and her friends—including Sonya the Goth, Allison the Cheerleader, and Max the Jock—are actually part of a demonic cult. Thus, with Bee’s human-sacrificing secret out in the open, Cole finds himself prey on the run from the band of high schoolers who will stop at nothing to silence the young boy.
Although this film equips a more gory route, it shares much in common with ‘Time Cut’ as a central slasher antagonist, and a chaotic fight for survival makes up the narrative building blocks for both stories. Thus, ‘The Babysitter’ remains a modern horror-comedy staple that fans of the latter film are bound to find entertaining.
8. Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
Directed by Zelda Williams, ‘Lisa Frankenstein‘ pitches an eccentric plot of romance that preserves plenty of opportunity for horror. The titular character, Lisa, is a social outcast in her new high school. She prefers spending her time at an abandoned cemetery tending to the grave of a pianist from the 1800s with whom she is in ill-advised love. Therefore, everything changes when a fateful lightning strike reanimates the guy’s corpse, bringing him to life—Frankenstein’s Creature-style. However, this outlandish chance at romance doesn’t come free of cost and might just end up costing Lisa more than she bargained for. ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ equips the same recipe of off-beat, coming-of-age premise mixed with a light-hearted tone that ‘Time Cut’ excels at. Therefore, if you’re looking for the same brand of spooky fun, you should give this film a try.
7. Tragedy Girls (2017)
‘Tragedy Girls’ is a horror film with a slasher antagonist that follows the story of two death-obsessed teenage girls. Sadie Cunningham and McKayla Hooper—the “Tragedy Girls” of their small midwestern town—run a true crime blog where they share updates about gruesome murders and killings. However, their blog remains woefully unpopular, inviting the duo’s ire. Eventually, Sadie and McKayla resort to drastic measures—and begin committing murders themselves to share exclusive coverage of the elusive killer through their blog. As a result, the duo become small-town celebrities overnight—as they become the perpetrators and reporters of their crime.
Still, as their ambition grows and the scope for anonymity in their crime lessens, the two end up walking precarious grounds. ‘Tragedy Girls’ brings an exceptional twist to the classic slasher genre. As such, if you enjoyed the ride-or-die dynamic between the central characters in ‘Time Cut’ and would like to see it in a wildly different context, you might like this film.
6. Freaky (2020)
Christopher Landon’s ‘Freaky’ is a slasher horror film that comes with a unique supernatural twist as it centers around a strange body swap between a teenage girl and a middle-aged man. Millie is a regular 17-year-old misfit with high school survival on her mind. However, a different kind of threat overtakes her life after she falls victim to the infamous serial killer, The Butcher. Nonetheless, after the man stabs her, instead of dying, Millie somehow swaps bodies with the older man. As such, stuck on a time crunch to get her body back, Millie must find a way to stop the killer before he uses his new identity to gruesome advantage.
The narrative’s focus on the misadventures of Millie and her friends, Nyla and Josh, in their hunt after the killer might be reminiscent of Lucy, Summer, and Quinn’s camaraderie in ‘Time Cut.’ Thus, if you’re intrigued by eccentric plots revolving around teenagers facing off against killers, this is the film for you.
5. See You Yesterday (2019)
Directed by Stefon Bristol, ‘See You Yesterday‘ is a sci-fi film that charts the tale of two teenagers who adventure through time with one goal in mind. Claudette “CJ” Walker and Sebastian “Bash” Thomas are aspiring child prodigies who are building a time machine together. Consequently, once CJ’s older brother, Calvin, dies at the hands of a police officer, the two best friends decide to jump back in the past to rewrite history. Nevertheless, their mission remains a trial-and-error process, and they can only achieve so many time jumps with their technology.
Despite treading vastly different paths, the central protagonists in ‘See You Yesterday’ and ‘Time Cut’ end up wading through similar waters as they attempt to save their siblings from a cruel fate. Therefore, CJ will inevitably hold a parallel to Lucy, which fans of the latter will appreciate.
4. Last Night in Soho (2021)
‘Last Night in Soho‘ is a psychological horror film with a peculiar time-traveling element that will easily capture the audience’s intrigue. The film follows Eloise “Ellie” Turner, a fashion designer in the making who has a fixation on the glamorous era of the 1960s. Therefore, she’s in for a surprise when she finds a way to travel to the limelight of 1960s London through the eyes of the dynamic Sandie. However, as Sandie’s relationship with Jack leads her life down unsavory paths, Ellie realizes the real horror of the woman’s life. As a result, despite her distance from Sandie’s time, Ellie strives to help out the other woman while crossing paths with the future version of Jack herself.
Director Edgar Wright’s ‘Last Night in Soho’ is a fascinating story that features time travel, female kinship, and a restless mystery at its center. Therefore, the film remains thematic overlap with ‘Time Cut,’ offering a rich and magnetic tale to fans of the latter.
3. The Final Girls (2015)
Todd Strauss-Schulson’s satire horror film, ‘The Final Girls,’ carries away the viewers—and the narrative’s central characters—into an unexpected 80s slasher movie. The central character, Max, lost her mother, Amanda, in a car accident when she was a child. Still, the latter’s legacy lives on as a beloved scream queen for her role as Nancy in a cult classic film. Years later, Max and her friends attend a screening of the same film—and somehow get sucked into the big screen. Consequently, as Max and her friends fall victim to the on-screen machete killer’s hunt, a fight ensues to be the last ones standing in a cliche-filled horror story.
The film’s unique premise affords the story plenty of space for classic horror movie tricks and tropes. Likewise, the central dynamic between Nancy and Max evokes a thematic significance for familial relationships that might appeal to fans of ‘Time Cut.’ As such, if you were entertained by the flippancy of the latter movie and are in search of an even more comedic take on slasher horrors, this is the film for you.
2. Happy Death Day (2017)
‘Happy Death Day,’ directed by Christopher Landon, is a teen-horror film that incorporates the fascinating element of a time loop into its blood-and-gory narrative. Tree Gelbman, a college student, is looking forward to her birthday. However, before the day comes to an end, she ends up falling victim to a masked killer. Even so, as morning settles in again, Tree finds herself waking up again on the same day. Thus, as the girl gets trapped into a time look that begins with her birthday and ends with her death, she realizes that killing the killer is the only way to survive and take back the reigns of her life.
‘Happy Death Day’ possesses the same comedic approach to a horrifying reality that ‘Time Cut’ deals with. Therefore, as messed-up timelines become the nucleus of both films, they end up sporting a lot in common.
1. Totally Killer (2023)
Nahnatchka Khan’s ‘Totally Killer’ transports the viewers—and the protagonist—to the 80s during a serial killer’s reign of terror. Jamie’s mother, Pam, lost three of her close friends to the Sweet Sixteen Killer during her high school days. As a result, now—35 years later—she remains overprotective of her daughter, much to the latter’s annoyance. However, as the killer makes his grand return on Halloween night, Jamie unfortunately crosses paths with him. Worse yet, in her escape from her life, the teenager somehow travels back in time to 1987—the year of the killer’s first strike. As a result, Jamie has to team up with the teenage version of her mother to bring an end to the killer’s reign before it can begin.
‘Totally Killer’ charts a sci-fi horror story that occupies the niche slasher and time travel subgenres. Naturally, the similarities between this film and ‘Time Cut’ remain evident. Therefore, if you’re a fan of the latter and in the hunt for something familiar yet different, this is the best pick for you!
