“Happy Death Day” Provides So-So Scares

With films like Split, Get Out, Annabelle: Creation, and IT, as well as Jigsaw coming Oct. 27, this year is sure to stand out as one of the greatest years for horror films in film history.

Adding to this mix is Happy Death Day. A college student named Tree Gelbman is killed on the night of her birthday by someone wearing the mask of their college mascot, and now, Tree has to re-live the same day over and over again, dying in different, brutal ways, until she figures out who her killer is.

This is a movie I wasn’t expecting to like in the least. From the looks of the previews, it seemed like a watered-down, cheap excuse for a PG-13 horror film. But I was happily wrong…for the most part.-

I’ll start off with the things I liked. The acting from Jessica Rothe, who plays Tree, was shockingly good. I use those words because PG-13 rated horror movies have a tendency to feature poor acting, as well as hokey jump-scare after jump-scare, to which Happy Death Day doesn’t fall prey.

The movie has a really intriguing premise that is reminiscent to the 1993 film, Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. It also has some cool deaths and chase scenes and some surprisingly emotional layers, particularly between Tree and two other characters in the movie. With an emphasis on how Tree grows as a character in the midst of horror, this is one film that doesn’t just come off as a cash grab, or something to throw into theaters before all the big films come out.

Now for the negatives. The first half is weak, seeming more like a teen drama with TV-level jokes, rather than a relatively big budget horror film. Although it’s labeled as a comedy/horror film, the comedy doesn’t really mix well with the horror aspect, making for an odd, “flip-flopped” tone, with some jarringly goofy moments.

In contrast, the second half of this film is what sold me on the film, and motivated me to check it out again. The initial tone of the film changes quickly from a quirky, oddly comedic teen drama to a semi-serious horror film. The pace also picks up immensely and gives a little more insight into some of the protagonists.

Overall, Happy Death Day was partly what I expected it to be: an average, B-movie horror flick which ultimately comes up short, with the exception of a neat twist at the end. If the entire film was like the second half, I would have rated this one of my favorite horror films of this year– but no such luck. Still, this is a fun movie to go see if you have nothing better to do on a weekend. I give Happy Death Day 6.7 out of 10 kills.