What if Groundhog Day was a horror movie? That’s the concept that horror flick Happy Death Day plays around with, and that’s pretty much it. It’s a relatively straightforward sort of movie, that some would immediately view as simply ripping off the Bill Murray-lead fantasy comedy. However, what makes Happy Death Day work so well is that it’s well aware of its influences and is brilliantly self-aware of the similarities without constantly being too on-the-nose with the comparisons. Instead, the movie has some fun of its own, blending horror and comedy into a fun treat for fans of the genre.
The film follows Theresa “Tree” Gelbman (Jessica Rothe), a sorority girl who wakes up in the bedroom of a classmate Carter Davis (Israel Broussard) after a drunken night of partying. She goes about her day like normal and is on her way to another party that night, when she’s brutally murdered by someone wearing the mask of the school mascot. However, the murder causes Tree to waking back up in Carter’s bed, reliving the day over again. She soon realizes she’s stuck in a time loop, with each night ending with her murder by the mysterious person no matter how she attempts to change the outcome of the day’s events. Needing to end the day alive to hopefully break the loop, Tree investigates who could possibly hate her so much that they want her dead and get ahead of them before they can kill her again.
The movie looks to be more of a fun experience rather than anything ambitious, and that winds up working to its advantage. It essentially knows the type of movie it is, and runs with it. And because it’s so self-aware, it maintains a sense of confidence throughout its entire run time, exhibited especially in later scenes where Tree goes through certain days almost not caring at all what happens to her. It starts getting into campy, over-the-top territory, and even though it has its moments where the silliness doesn’t always have the best delivery - there’s one particular scene where Tree wakes up and deeply bellows “Silence!” to Carter the second he speaks that’s particularly cringe-worthy - characters consistently keep their heads held high during these moments.
It’s not necessarily a scary movie - with only a handful of effective jump scares - but rather, is a funnier version of the slasher genre, evoking the feel of similar films such as the Scream franchise and The Final Girls. The film’s soundtrack is less made up of typical horror music, but instead of modern pop songs to give it a lively feel - with the best song used being Demi Lovato’s “Confident,” which essentially serves as a summation of the movie’s attitude of not caring what the audience thinks of it. We’re given montages where Tree is creatively killed off in some new form or another, no matter how she tries changing the course of the day’s events. Many times, the film plays these deaths up for laughs, to positive results.
Though what makes this work is that Tree is still not just some stock character who’s only purpose is that she gets killed. She’s actually a fun character to watch. While she mostly follows the same path of progression as Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day, she has a fun, vibrant personality, despite not being the most likable character at first, with plenty of quips that make for some snappy lines of dialogue. She is also consistently strong, always able to stand on her feet despite constantly meeting her gruesome end at the end of the day. Even in scenes in which she tries getting help, she’s never falls into the trope of a damsel in distress. She still dominates the conversation as she tries coming up with a plan to break the time loop.
Jessica Rothe’s performance also adds to how likable Tree winds up being. The fact that her first starring role is a ridiculous horror comedy is also quite impressive, as it’s rare that movies such as Happy Death Day are known for their stellar acting. But Rothe - a newcomer at this point, with her only other major credit being La La Land - holds her own quite well. She knows how to flow with the story’s goofy material, keeping things casual and not trying to turn the movie into something more than what it is with a melodramatic performance. We enjoy watching her because she knows how to effectively match the film’s overall energy, and she plays a big part in turning a movie that lacks a complex story line into something much more emotionally satisfying by the time we get to the end.
Happy Death Day has more of a “cult movie” vibe to it, as it’s essentially a fairly over-the-top horror send-up of other movies with similar plots. But it’s still a great time, knowing what it is and rolling with it. It’s less scary and more campy and funny, with a great performance by Jessica Rothe to help keep the pace moving well. Horror fans will love it, and even if you’re not so much a fan of the genre, you still may find it hard to resist cracking a smile.
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