Happy Death Day is a film that follows a college student that’s trapped in a Groundhog Day-like time loop on the same day that she is murdered. She relives her murder everyday until she can figure out her killer.
Directed by Christopher Landon (best known for the Paranormal Activity sequels) and written by comic book writer Scott Lobdell, Happy Death Day delivers on a familiar premise – the time loop. We’ve seen in it Groundhog Day, we’ve seen it in Edge of Tomorrow, we’ve seen it in Star Trek. But here it intermingles with horror and dark comedy to give a fresh spin on the concept. Every day, Tree (played by Jessica Rothe) wakes up and goes through the same routine and is inevitably murdered by a masked killer at the end of the evening. And without fail, she wakes right back up again at the start of the same day. The fun of the film comes from watching her try to deduce who her killer is via process of elimination. She utilizes her seemingly endless lives, allowing herself to be murdered time and time again, in an attempt to learn more with each “life”.
Jessica Rothe is a real star in the film. She carries it completely as both a source of comedy and suspense. She’s more than just another scream queen as she’s very charismatic and sometimes hilarious to watch as she deals with the same exhausting interactions day in and day out. The character of Tree has a simple and neat little arc. She starts the film off as a pretty terrible person. She’s your typical selfish sorority girl, shallow and unpleasant to all those around her. As she relives her days over and over, she learns more about the people around her and gradually becomes a better person. I mean, it is essentially the same arc that Bill Murray goes through in Groundhog Day, but it’s just nice to see character growth in general.
The who-dunnit element is neat as the film presents a lot of different options and possibilities and honestly I found it to be not all that predictable. It does throw in a few red herrings here and there. It’s not the most intricate mystery film in the world but it gets the job done.
The horror/slasher element eventually takes a backseat to the comedy and mystery side of the film. Fans of horror and gore will probably be a bit disappointed here as the film’s a bit on the shy side when it comes to showing anything too graphic. It also loses a lot of its suspense and edge once you realise that the main character is effectively invulnerable. The plot tries to fabricate some tension by alluding to the idea that all these deaths are taking a toll on Tree and maybe there will be long term consequences, but ultimately we don’t go down that path and her constant deaths and aftereffects are left fairly inconsistent.
Ultimately though, it’s a fun ride. With a lesser actress, it may not have clicked quite so well. But Happy Death Day is a fun blend of multiple different genres.
Rating: ★★★1/2
Zero Stars 