Happy Death Day review
Happy Death Day is a perfectly serviceable entry in Blumhouse Productions' typically above average horror catalog. It stars Jessica Rothe as a bratty collegiate who is forced to relive her birthday, and subsequent murders, when a masked killer hunts her down at the end of each repeated day.
Easily the biggest nitpick to be had about Happy Death Day is the deeply unoriginal premise. Yes, being forced to live the same day over and over again is an idea that can work when it is done really well (think Groundhog Day), but when it is done with no creativity, it becomes as repetitive as the plot itself.
What comes with heroine Tree's (Rothe) predicament is a series of surprisingly self-aware situations that amount to her needing to 1) solve her own murder and 2) become a better person in the process. At this point (basically if you have seen the trailer as well), it is clear that the movie has no plans of subverting any expectations other than brief jabs at the horror genre itself.
All of the actors are entertaining to watch, with Jessica Rothe making a breakout performance as this year's newest final girl. She, along with her sorority sisters, bring an over-the-top Mean Girls-esque quality to the story, with none of them seeming all that realistic, but all the more fun to see repeatedly murdered. Israel Broussard stars as the geeky one night stand who somehow gets dragged into Tree's increasingly tragic storyline and he makes for a charming romantic interest, despite his character being about as stereotypical as they come.
I admire horror movies that choose to take the comedic route, if only because they break up the monotonous standard that is now boring teenagers being possessed by something equally as boring. Unfortunately, Happy Death Day chooses to use comedy to cover up a lackluster plot with no real payoff in the end, instead of to complement an exaggerated story.
Another huge problem with the comedy not being used in the film's favor is that the scares come few and far between due to this discrepancy in tone. Because of how lighthearted the rest of Happy Death Day is, the parts that ask audiences to scream or find fright seem almost out of place. If being brutally murdered repeatedly by a baby-faced killer does not distract from our main character's silly attitude, then why should it scare us?
While Happy Death Day is an entertaining and acceptable horror film that manages to be above the typical genre bores, it falters due to a missed opportunity to use its fantastical premise in a new way. Solid performances and decent direction from relative newcomer Christopher Landon make the film fun to sit through, but not one that you will wake up being able to relive even the next day.
Happy Death Day is rated PG-13 for violence/terror, crude sexual content, language, some drug material and partial nudity and stars Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Charles Aitken and Rachel Matthews.
Image by Universal Pictures
