Netflix mixes it up this Halloween season withTime Cut, a new horror sci-fi movie that celebrates the bonds of sisterhood. Directed by Hannah Macpherson and co-written by her and Michael Kennedy, the film centers on Lucy Field (played byOuter Banksstar Madison Bailey), a teenager in 2024 who discovers a time machine that takes her back to 2003, when the sister she never met was last alive. Summer (Antonia Gentry,the star of Netflix’sGinny & Georgia) is a popular high schooler in the early aughts with no idea that a serial killer is about to end her life unless her baby sister saves her.
Bailey and Gentryboth come from hit Netflix shows, andTime Cutgives them the opportunity to join forces and expand their current repertoire. The new movie not only blends genres, it also makes excellent use of 2000s music and fashion to paint a unique picture as Lucy and Summer try to outsmart and outlast their tormenter. The movie also stars Michael Shanks,Tall Girl’s Griffin Gluck, and Megan Best.
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ScreenRantinterviewed Macpherson about the genre-defyingTime Cut, including the aspects of late ’90s andearly 2000s pop cultureshe called upon to anchor the movie. The director also shared why she felt it was so important that her young stars be actively involved in bringing their characters to life.
Time Cut Director Explains How She Rolls 3 Genres Into 1
“It’s kind of a mashup of many of my favorite genres.”
Screen Rant:Time Cutreminds me of a lot of the horror movies that I grew up with, except with this cool sci-fi twist. Can you talk about blending these different genres to create a cohesive story?
Hannah Macpherson: Yes, I also love that it’s kind of a mashup of many of my favorite genres. For me, I think the only way to keep it grounded and keep it tonally manageable was to find the heart — the true heart of the movie — which to me is the story of these two sisters. It’s truly a love story of sisterhood.
Once we’ve really found that center, then all the horror is about one of them being in danger. The time travel element makes it fresh, and I love the sci-fi. We really tried to lean into that, even stylistically.
Screen Rant: Can you talk about what the biggest challenge was about blending the psychological thriller or horror aspect with the sci-fi aspect?
Hannah Macpherson: I think that it’s challenging in horror to sometimes keep the movie alive in a way that has levity or heart. I think, honestly, the script already did an amazing job of blending the worlds. Michael Kennedy is a genius, but honestly, it’s the girls and Griffin Gluck who keep the movie from feeling one note, if you will. I really just relied heavily on performance and the script.
Time Cut Takes Everything You Loved From The 2000s & Amplifies It
“I feel loving about a lot of what I would say now are kind of tragic trends.”
Screen Rant: I love the fact that it takes place in the early 2000s because it’s an era that I remember very clearly. Are there any films or shows from that era, whether they be teen angst or horror, that influenced the aesthetic of this film?
Hannah Macpherson: Definitely from the late ’90s, like Scream,I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Final Destination. All of those movies had a huge influence on me. They scared me, but they were also fun. We tried to dissect the formula, and I hope that it pays off.
Screen Rant: What elements of the early 2000s culture did you feel were essential to capture inTime Cut?
Hannah Macpherson: I guess this is a funny thing to say about the early 2000s, and I also was becoming an adult at that time, so I feel loving about a lot of what I would say now are kind of tragic trends. The music is iconic, but mostly bad. The fashion is wildly coming back, but was pretty bad.
So, we were always laughing in prep, celebrating the awfulness of the early 2000s, if I can say that. Which is one of the fun things about this. People my age can look back and go, “Oh, my gosh, we really were wearing our jeans that low. How is that humanly possible?” And now they’re doing it again today.
Screen Rant: Out of those early 2000 classic songs that you have in the film, which one’s your favorite?
Hannah Macpherson: I mean, for me it has to be Avril Lavigne. I can immediately remember who I had a crush on at that time, where I had my first drink at a bar… It’s a song that’s like a smell, where you’re like, “Oh yeah, yeah! That was a good time.”
Madison Bailey & Antonia Gentry Perfect Their Sisterly Bond In Time Cut
“We just got lucky in terms of their natural chemistry.”
Screen Rant: Madison and Antonia are fantastic together. What made them the perfect choices for these roles? Can you talk about them building their bond and chemistry together?
Hannah Macpherson: We were looking for the exact right actors to play these two parts, and we had Madison Bailey first. Then we were trying to figure out, “Who would the sister be that balances her out? Antonia Gentry was such an awesome get, and the two of them together [were perfect].
The one thing you don’t know when you’re making offers and looking for cast is if they truly will have natural chemistry. And with these two girls, you can see it. They love each other; they have an immediate bond, and that shows up on screen. We just got lucky in terms of their natural chemistry.
Screen Rant: What did they bring to their roles that went beyond the page?
Hannah Macpherson: Oh, everything. They created these roles themselves. We had a lot of discussions about who these women were, who they wanted to be, and how.
One of my favorite things about this movie is the message, which is that we are in control of our future to some extent. We have to make choices. And I just think that’s so relevant right now for anyone. It’s relevant at my age. It’s relevant when you’re young, in relationships, careers, and even voting. We have to grab our future by the throat and make it work for us, even when there’s things that we can’t control.
More About Time Cut (2024)
A teenage girl travels back to the early 2000s to stop a vicious killer from murdering her sister.
Time Cut
Cast
A teenage girl goes back in time to the early 2000s to save her sister from a dangerous killer.
