Happy Death Day surprised me the first time I saw it. Not because I didn’t think it would be fun, but because I didn’t think it would be good.
And it’s so good.
The premise, without any spoilers, is the story of Tree (Jessica Rothe), a party hard sorority girl who gets murdered on her birthday. However, the real trouble starts when she wakes up and must relive this day and getting murdered over and over until she can uncover the killer and save herself. The plot of someone reliving the same day where only they remember and everyone else resets is so fucking frustrating to me and has actually prevented me from watching a lot of movies (I’ve only seen Groundhog’s Day once, for the obvious reason that it pisses me off). There is a sense of loneliness and almost unintentional gaslighting that goes along with these stories and I don’t know what happened to me in a past life, but those are themes that I really don’t enjoy. Yet, Happy Death Day is so compelling, so fun, and Tree isn’t alone – Carter, a stranger at the start of the movie who becomes her love interest, always believes in her and supports her. Even as the world resets and he forgets any progress they have made in their relationship, he’s just such a nice guy and is there to help. This kind of character may not be needed for everyone with this kind of film, but for me, Carter is a blessing. His golly-goshness optimism paired with Tree’s exhausted determination make them a perfect dynamic duo in solving her murder. The other supporting characters are incredible as well – the president of the sorority, Danielle, her put upon roommate Lori, and her poor father David, who is simply trying to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. They really help build the world that Tree is living in and add to her desperation to just get to the next day. When the movie resolves (I won’t spoil it, shocking I know!), there is such a sense of joy for both the characters and audience that it’s become one of my comfort movies (in time, it will definitely be in the top ten).
I loved the original so much that I put off watching the sequel for a long, long time. The idea that Tree was trapped in a similar situation, but one where it was slightly altered so she had to solve it again, was really off putting. However, I gave it a chance and I was shocked (SHOCKED) that this was actually really, really good. Not as horror centric as it’s predecessor, and more sci-fi rooted, Happy Death Day 2U takes us on a wild ride with even more characters. Carter’s roommate, Ryan, starts off the film where he is living in a loop where he continuously gets murdered. Tree and Carter, having just come off of Tree’s nightmare of living the same day over and over, believe him and try to help. It is then revealed that both Ryan and Tree got stuck in these little pocket dimensions is because of Ryan’s experiment – a device meant to initially slow down time, but instead repeating it. This adds a whole new wave of complications as Tree is thrust back into her murder mystery, although with some minor changes. Instead of just having Carter now, we have Ryan and his two friends who also just believe her, and we even have Danielle helping as best she can (Danielle is such a great comedic foil, Rachel Matthews is a gold mine). The sequel knows they are hurting Tree, who is the perfect final girl right up there with Sidney from Scream, and to cushion the blow they give her a whole support team to help her through her journey. This movie was way more fun then it had any right to be, and though I went in skeptical I laughed out loud multiple times and even cried (there is the sweetest scene with Tree and someone from her past which I will not spoil again!) While again this sequel leans away from horror, I think it was the smartest move they could make – these characters have evolved past the need for them to be in danger to make audiences care. I swore off buying any more stuff for cosplay, but I loved both of these movies so much I was trying to find replica’s of Tree’s iconic t-shirt just so I could rep for this franchise I was so late to.
Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U are some of the most fun you can have watching a horror movie. The cast is impeccable, the script is tight and balances humor with the heavier moments, and the direction is flawless. They have taken one of my least favourite concepts and turned them into something so good, I now go to these films for comfort.
This is just a review and post for those of you who want good horror but, like me, are excessively squeamish. There is barely any violence in this, despite the premise, and it’s such a fun ride from start to finish. Jessica Rothe is just a badass and we love her for it.