The Last Kiss (2026) Review: Okumura's Dark YA Vision

Laurel's curse operates on a simple, devastating logic: kiss someone, see how they die. The film doesn't waste time explaining the origins of this ability, and it's better for it. What matters is the consequence. When a vision reveals that her crush is fated to die in a murder spree targeting her closest friends, Laurel is forced to move from passive observer to active investigator. The mystery unfolds across a small-town setting that cinematographer-turned-director Okumura renders with an unsettling stillness, all empty parking lots and forest trails that feel watched. Prime suspect territory here is Evan Geller, played by Jaden Michael with a nervous energy that keeps the audience guessing, while Poppy Yang (Arkira Chantaratananond) emerges as the friend who refuses to let Laurel carry the burden alone. The kill sequences, when they arrive, are staged with a restraint that makes them sting more than any gore-soaked set piece could.

What separates The Last Kiss from the glut of curse-driven horror films is its refusal to treat the premise as mere mechanics. The kiss isn't just a plot device; it's a violation. Every time Laurel gets close to someone, she's punished for it. Mckenna Grace understands this instinctively, playing Laurel not as a scream queen but as someone slowly realizing that intimacy itself has become a threat. It's a performance of small, accumulating losses, and she carries the film's emotional weight without ever overselling it. Okumura, working from a script that trusts its audience, keeps the pacing brisk at 97 minutes.

The supporting cast fills out the world convincingly. Kate Drummond brings warmth and a hint of frailty to Diane Hansen, while Riley Davis and Samantha Espie make the most of their screen time as the circle of friends and authority figures caught in the killer's orbit. Cooper Levy's Chuck Beasley and Eve Edwards's Bree Williams add texture to the small-town dynamic.

The film's central mystery is competent rather than ingenious, and viewers who pay close attention to how the visions are framed may assemble the killer's identity before the third act reveal. But that's a minor grievance when the ride itself is this atmospheric. Where the film stumbles slightly is in its middle stretch, when the investigation briefly loses momentum and the curse's rules become a little too convenient. There are moments where the screenplay explains more than it needs to, and the occasional exposition dump saps tension from scenes that would be stronger left ambiguous. Even so, the film's emotional logic holds: every kiss is a loss, and every death Laurel foresees is a grief she's forced to carry in advance.

The horror here is psychological first and visceral second. Okumura understands that dread lives in the space between what a character knows and what they can do about it, and she fills that space with quiet, patient camera work. The result is a film that doesn't need jump scares to get under your skin.

Pros:

• Mckenna Grace delivers a layered lead performance that grounds the supernatural premise in real emotion
• Okumura's direction favors atmosphere over cheap shocks, creating a persistent sense of unease
• The curse is used thematically, making intimacy itself the source of horror
• Tight 97-minute runtime with minimal filler
• Strong supporting ensemble, particularly Jaden Michael and Arkira Chantaratananond

Cons:

• The mystery's solution is somewhat predictable for attentive viewers
• A few exposition-heavy scenes undercut the tension
• The middle act occasionally sags when the investigation stalls

The Last Kiss is a smart, stylish horror-thriller that takes a high-concept hook and treats it with surprising emotional seriousness. It isn't a perfect film, and its mystery won't stump the most seasoned genre fans, but the combination of Mckenna Grace's committed performance and Yoko Okumura's confident direction makes it well worth the watch. A first kiss has rarely been this terrifying.