Who in your life would want you gone?
Happy Death Day is exactly the kind of horror film that’s always a welcome sight. The flick is a perfect example of taking the basic joy of 80s slashers and infusing them with modern sensibilities. The film has enough familiarity to it in its set up and tone which will make it an instantly satisfying venture for longtime genre fans. At the same time, there’s a certain panache and flair in the way director Christopher Landon has executed his film with a Mean Girls-like attitude and an overall relevance for the very set of characters it’s depicting. As a result, Happy Death Day has all the makings of a bona-fide future horror classic.
The main character of Happy Death Day is Teresa, or “Tree” (Jessica Rothe), a beautiful, cold-hearted sorority girl who doesn’t care much about anything or anyone. After waking up in the bed of college good guy Carter (Israel Broussard), Tree goes about her day in trademark bitchy fashion, which includes encounters with best frenemy Danielle (Rachel Matthews), roommate Lori (Ruby Modine) and professor/secret lover Gregory (Charles Aitken). Yet today isn’t just any day; it just so happens to be Tree’s birthday, a fact she wishes she could forget. That night, on her way to a frat party, Tree finds herself stalked by a figure in a baby mask who stabs her to death. Immediately after, Tree awakens to find herself back in Carter’s bed as she soon realizes that she is to live the same day over again, dying each time until she discovers who is trying to kill her.
Happy Death Day manages to eagerly (and in some cases, cleverly) cover every area that a good slasher film should. There a number of jump moments, which thankfully don’t come from the loud noise of someone opening a sliding cabinet, as well as a genuinely menacing killer with an appropriately creepy mask. Indeed, the idea of a knife-wielding maniac wearing a baby mask is a genius touch. A tuly good slasher can also function as a worthy whodunnit, which Happy Death Day certainly does. With Tree not short on enemies, the list of who would want to do her in is a long one. What makes Happy Death Day excel in this area, is the fact that its clues are presented repeatedly, yet so subtly, with the smallest details re-worked according to how Tree decides to live out each day, that the final reveal manages to remain a surprise. Even at a moment when Happy Death Day appears to have opted for a plot move which screams cop out, the strength of the film’s architecture and the willingness of its filmmakers to fully explore the central premise win out as the movie launches into its energy-filled third act.
There’s a fair amount of humor to Happy Death Day. While the film doesn’t enter horror/comedy territory like Shaun of the Dead, there’s some definite playfulness to be had here, including such moments as when the film acknowledges its Groundhog Day similarities and the hilarious elimination of a suspect. Another particularly fun scene occurs when a frat boy manages to lure Tree to his room where he unleashes his own private club complete with strobe lights. As a disinterested Tree focuses her attention on her phone, the killer emerges from the closet, murdering said frat boy whose cries for help are drowned out by the music while Tree cluelessly texts away. There’s a real tongue in cheek attitude to Happy Death Day, wonderfully exhibited in the way Tree embraces her plight, at one point even strutting across the campus quad stark naked. Speaking of Tree, although she may not seem like it at first, the character ends up being quite an admirable horror movie heroine, starting out as the kind of girl who would be the first to go in a film like this before eventually becoming the type who survives as a result of the inevitably reflective journey she’s forced to go on.
Performances in a horror film are rarely anything to write home about; and in the case of the supporting performances, that’s more or less the case here. The film does score by way of its male lead. As the eternal good guy Carter, Broussard proves a nice, warm presence in the film, keeping the shaky reality Tree finds herself in as grounded as possible. But the movie belongs to its leading actress, who finds herself with a fun showcase, not to mention interesting task. Rothe is forced to play unlikable, funny, terrified, sympathetic and heroic all in the space of one movie. It’s a tall order for any actress to pull off, but she does it and keeps the audience by her side every step of the way.
In researching the path that Happy Death Day took to get to the big screen, I found out that not only has the film been in production limbo for the better part of a decade, but that Michael Bay was at one point attached to produce it with his then-leading lady Megan Fox attached to star. Needless to say, we are all grateful for the way things ended. A Blumhouse feature, Happy Death Day continues the company’s streak of horror films (including Split and Get Out) which manage to connect with not only genre fans, but the general population as well. The film is further proof that Blumhouse is making sure horror aficionados continue to be acknowledged, not through sub-par remakes and sequels, but with invigorating efforts made by a collection of filmmakers just as wild about the genre as their audiences. If Happy Death Day is any indication of today’s state of horror, we are in a good place.
