Released: October 13, 2017
Director: Christopher B. Landon
Screenplay: Scott Lobdell
Tagline: "Get up. Live your day. Get killed. Again."
Cast:
Jessica Rothe as Theresa "Tree" Gelbman
Israel Broussard as Carter Davis
Ruby Modine as Lori Spengler
Rachel Matthews as Danielle Bouseman
Charles Aitken as Gregory Butler
Rob Mello as Joseph Tombs
First Time View?: Yep...then second...then third...then fourth...you get the idea
Happy Death Day was an unlikely winner at last weekend's box office, surprising movie pundits and critics alike. Though most reviewers agree yeah, it's not Citizen Kane by any means, but it takes the slasher conventions of yore and gives them a darkly humorous twist to produce a horror comedy in the vein of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) and Heathers (1988). The result is a fun, creepy, well-made, well-acted, and visually appealing little film that will delight lovers of all things slasher and all things 80's.
College student Tree Gelbman finds that she is reliving the day of her murder over and over again, able to retain her memories of each replay while those around her are unaware of the deja vu. She struggles her uncover the identity of her masked killer while making it through the day alive, believing that if she can just survive the night her life will move forward. But as the resets start to mount, Tree finds that this task is going to be more complicated than she thought.
Jessica Rothe puts on her game face as Tree in a star-making turn (I think we'll see a lot more of her in the future) highlighting all of Tree's flaws without making her seem a complete jaded and narcissistic asshole. Her comedic timing and control of her facial features are masterful and you can't help but groan along with her at the incredulity she feels when she realizes she's been killed--again! Those kills are clean but sharp and used to great comedic effect as Tree begins to barricade herself in her room, deck out in camo to stalk potential suspects, and just generally scheme different ways to avoid her assailant.
The killer reveal is manageable if you pay close enough attention, but the road to that unveiling is a genuine rollercoaster--laughing and screaming and unexpected turns and that's exactly how a fun, only semi-serious slasher should be. I spent most of the film having no clue what would happen next, and it was such a treat. The structure of Happy Death Day allows you to switch your brain from analytical mode to enjoyment mode and just embrace the ride. Because every aspect of the film is just right and nothing about it is obnoxious (which would have been a VERY easy trap to fall into given the college setting, unusual, cheeky premise, and the abundance of slasher tropes) you don't feel any unease or guilt about letting yourself fall fully into the world of this film. The slasher genre is paid homage here with love and care rather than meanness or cynicism.
The creative team made the absolute best of their budget and story and the result is a clever mashup of Groundhog Day and Scream that is pure glee from opening credits to the final reel. If you like Halloween but can't quite handle intense gore or psychological terror, check out this movie. Only fun frights and good laughs to be found here; the kind of movie you'll want to watch again and again and again and again and again...
Happy Death Day
5-Totally Terrifying
4-Crazy Creepy
3-Fairly Frightening
2-Slightly Scary
1-Hardly Horror
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