‘Happy Death Day’ Review: ‘Groundhog Day’ Meets ‘Friday the 13th’ in Repetitive Slasher Comedy
There’s a clever premise and charming cast, but this intentionally repetitive thriller doesn’t live up to its potential
Todd Gilchrist | October 11, 2017 @ 9:00 AM
Last Updated: October 11, 2017 @ 9:01 AM
Patti Perret/Universal Pictures
Teenagers will likely flock to “Happy Death Day,” Christopher Landon’s funhouse thriller about a young woman who keeps reliving the day she dies, but anyone who’s seen “Groundhog Day” — or is even marginally familiar with the tropes of slasher movies — may find its repetition as punishing to them as to its hapless protagonist.
Landon, who wrote four of the “Paranormal Activity” films, knows a lot about reverse engineering scary scenarios from mundane situations, but as with later installments of that series, he overcomplicates the logistics and mythology of the premise, aiming for something more raucous (and fun) in tone but lacking the intensity — or inevitability — to make its repetition feel truly chilling.
Jessica Rothe (“La La Land”) plays Tree, a college student who starts the morning of her birthday regaining consciousness hungover and regretful in the dorm room of Carter (Israel Broussard, “The Bling Ring”), an awkwardly cheerful young man she doesn’t remember meeting. Hastily making her exit, Tree returns to her sorority to piece together the events of the previous night, ignoring calls from her father and downplaying well-wishes from her roommate Lori (Ruby Modine, “Shameless”), who even made her a cupcake to celebrate.
En route to a fraternity party that night, Tree is stalked, and eventually, murdered by a killer wearing a mask of their school’s baby-faced mascot. Instead of becoming just another faceless victim, however, she awakens once again once again in Carter’s bed as the events of the past day re-play themselves minute by minute. After this pattern repeats itself yet again, she realizes that she is reliving what amounts to the last moments of her life, and races to piece together the identity of the killer so she can stop the cycle and prevent her own death.
It’s hard to tell if “Happy Death Day” is a smart movie masquerading as a dumb one or vice versa. But at the very least, it seems to take no small pleasure in denying the young woman her “Groundhog Day”-style self-improvement epiphanies, accumulating twists to keep her searching for the killer’s identity via a skillful if woefully conspicuous collection of red herrings introduced with machinelike precision during the “first” day through the wringer. Operating with a post-“Scream” level of self-awareness, Landon assembles montages of her dying that more closely resemble the whoopsy-daisy punch lines of Tom Cruise getting knocked off in “Edge of Tomorrow” than the terror of a true horror-movie death.
Unfortunately, those experiences never seem to bequeath her much material knowledge about how to prevent being killed — like, say, the discovery that she effectively can ensure exactly where her attacker will be if she just repeats the same actions over again a single time. There is possibly something deeper to say here about the consequences of one’s actions, or even literally learning from one’s mistakes, but the movie is having too much fun making them to heed its own lessons, eliminating suspects one at a time without acknowledging, much less properly exploring, the brutality and dread of facing another day that will end with your death.
As Tree, Rothe deftly maintains the balance between bitchy and likeable needed for audiences to both enjoy watching her die and want to see her live; she has the same sort of posh-but-relatable charm as someone like Blake Lively and shows a promise that one hopes she’ll have an opportunity to fulfill in the future with more sophisticated roles.
Broussard, meanwhile, plays the only character who doesn’t feel from the first scene like a decoy/ potential murderer, which is a testament both to screenwriter Scott Lobdell’s writing, and the young actor’s just-started-shaving appeal. But like with many other elements, Tree and Carter’s budding romance lacks the awareness needed to make it at once a support system for a desperate young woman and a transient reassurance within the framework of a cycle destined to reset their intimacy each time.
Ultimately it feels like there were two ways to develop this idea — it could be interesting, or it could be commercial — and Landon and Lobdell opted for the easier route. Of course, for 14-year-olds who need something on the screen while they Snapchat from inside a movie theater, the movie works sorta perfectly, a distraction that barely counts as horror but throws enough curveballs to keep them intrigued while waiting for messages back from their friends.
But anybody who’s watched a dozen co-eds get hacked to bits by a masked killer in any of a thousand movies before this one may take away from “Happy Death Day” the same sense of repetition and disappointment as poor Tree, because there seems to be an inability or unwillingness to make smarter choices in not just familiar but virtually identical scenarios – and it’s not the characters who are to blame, but the filmmakers who created them.
13 Must-See Horror Movies After 'It,' From 'Green Room' to 'It Follows' (Photos)
"Starry Eyes" (2014)
Written & directed by Kevin Kolsch, Dennis Widmyer
Cool imagery, solid performances, and a harrowing take on how far a person will go to become a star.
Available to rent: Amazon Video, YouTube, iTunes
"Honeymoon" (2014)
Directed by Leigh Janiak
Janiak made a solid directorial debut with "Honeymoon." The whole film rests on the shoulders of the two leads with excellent chemistry who take you through a well-paced story of paranoia and freaky scares.
Available to rent: iTunes, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV
"What We Do in the Shadows" (2015)
Written & directed by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
This film is a joyride of a horror comedy. This mockumentary stars all of your favorite monsters, and will make you smile with it’s charm.
Available to rent: Amazon Video, iTunes
"Goodnight Mommy" (2015)
Written & directed by Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
I caught this out of Fantasia 2015, and was blown away. I admittedly shielded my eyes during the more torture-y parts at the end, but I didn’t see the twists, and it’s one of the most visually stunning genre films in recent years.
Available to rent: Amazon Video, YouTube, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play Movies & TV
"The Visit" (2015)
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Fun story: I was invited by my former boss Steven Schneider (and EP on the film) to a small screening, and he wouldn’t tell me what it was. I walk in and M. Night is there and only a couple of other people. I was so scared, and unfortunately was sitting in the front row so everyone could see me jump. I was over found footage, but I powered through that element because the story is so fun to watch unfold. Signature Shyamalan Twist works like a charm, and with this and "Split" getting great reviews it’s great to have M. Night back.
"Green Room" (2016)
Written & directed by Jeremy Saulnier
As a huge fan of "Blue Ruin," I was equally as impressed with how "Green Room" as a a brutally relentless thriller that is both tense and entertaining.
Available to rent: Amazon Video, YouTube, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play Movies & TV
The Guest (2014)
Directed by Adam Wingard.
I caught this on the big screen at Next Fest in 2014. Maika Monroe and Dan Stevens are captivating to watch. Period. It’s a quick-paced thriller wrapped into a poppy homage to throwback horror films.
"In Order of Disappearance" (2014)
Directed by Hans Petter Moland
I was lucky enough to see this at Fantastic Fest in 2014. It’s an intense Norwegian revenge story set against the beautifully snowy backdrop of Norway in winter. Tonally it reminded me of "Fargo" with added thriller elements and tense scenes.
Available to rent: Amazon Video, YouTube, iTunes
"Afflicted" (2014)
Written & directed by Derek Lee, Clif Prowse
I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Lee and Prowse put a unique spin on the well-tread vampire sub genre by giving the viewer an experience of what it’s like to make the transition into a vampire after you’ve been bitten by one. Shot on a very limited budget, the effects are impressive and mostly practical and they make great use of the docu-style filmmaking.
Available on Amazon Video, iTunes, Vudu
"Hush" (2016)
Directed by Mike Flanagan
Home invasion movie out of SXSW 2016. Reminiscent of "The Strangers" and "Wait Until Dark," it’s a very minimalist movie, and is intense, nonstop and entertaining. It’s low budget, but it doesn’t take away from the quality in this gem.
Available to rent: Netflix
"The Taking of Deborah Logan" (2014)
Directed by Adam Robitel
Jill Larson carries the film well in the title role that requires her to go from happy to sad to positively terrifying in the same scene. I wish it wasn’t found footage because I felt like that was one of the weak elements of it, but if you want to watch a possession film that won’t disappoint give this a look. I’m excited to see what Robitel does with "Insidious 4."
Available to rent: Amazon Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV
"Under the Skin" (2014)
Directed by Jonathan Glazer
This film is gorgeous. It’s eerie. It’s an artsy take on "Species," and will gross you out as much as it will impress you with it’s visuals. It’s a very polarizing film, but the lovely Scarlett Johansson makes it work on so many levels. It’s sure to stick with you after viewing.
Available to rent: Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, iTunes
"It Follows" (2014)
Written and Directed by David Robert Mitchell.
I’m sure you’ve at least heard of this film. A testament to its quality is that it’s one of the few films horror films to get an expanded release after doing high number in its limited run. Spooky soundtrack, 80’s vibes, and a new twist on the slasher sub-genre. Watch this in the dark. There are multiple gasp-worthy scenes.
Available to buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies & TV, iTunes
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"Starry Eyes" (2014)
Written & directed by Kevin Kolsch, Dennis Widmyer
Cool imagery, solid performances, and a harrowing take on how far a person will go to become a star.
Available to rent: Amazon Video, YouTube, iTunes