Cinema Review: Happy Death Day is Groundhog Day for horror fans

A slasher film with a mysterious, masked killer is a familiar formula, but there are other themes present in Christopher Landon’s Happy Death Day. The story is about a college student who relives the day of her murder over and over in a loop that ends only when she discovers the identity of her killer. The main character, Tree Gelbman, is an unhappy, insensitive person. It would seem that almost everyone she interacts with would have motive to killer her. Writer Scott Lobdell keeps the film interesting as the viewer is constantly guessing who the killer could be. Along the way, there are themes of self-discovery and redemption as Tree sees herself for who she really is and begins to change her behavior. Although Happy Death Day obviously draws elements from several past films, it is an entertaining low-budget slasher, especially for millennials.

At the beginning of the film, Tree wakes up in an unfamiliar dorm room. It is her birthday and she ignores a phone call from her father. She is greeted by an innocent-looking young man whose name is Carter. Fans of the genre will notice a poster on the wall for John Carpenter’s They Live! (1988). Tree has a terrible hangover from the night before, but forges ahead with her day. The audience can quickly build a long list of suspects as Tree offends many people on and off campus. There is an evil sorority sister, an ex-boyfriend, and a manipulative science professor with whom Tree is having an affair. Tree’s roommate presents her with a homemade cupcake, which Tree does not eat. The roommate seems very upset by this affront. At the end of the night, Tree is murdered by a killer wearing a black hoodie and a baby-face mask. She wakes up in the same dorm room, and the cycle repeats with minor differences in dialogue and mood. After repeating this experience a few times, Tree grows increasingly frustrated and confides in Carter. He helps her realize that she needs to identify her killer in order to break the cycle.

On the tenth time living the same day, Tree zeroes in on John Tombs as the person she believes is her murderer. Tombs is a serial killer who has escaped from a local institution and has already killed six other girls who look just like Tree. Confident that she has solved the mystery, Tree goes through the whole day as a happy person. She corrects all of her previous indiscretions, being kind to everyone she had insulted before. She even reconciles with her father and meets with him for the birthday lunch he had been contacting her about in previous versions of the day. At nightfall, Tree prepares to do battle with John Tombs in a manner very similar to how Nancy prepares to face-off with Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Tree even sets the countdown timer on her digital watch—just like Nancy. Later that night, Tree and Carter are sitting in a darkened room face to face as Tree blows out the candle on the cupcake. It is a scene straight out of Sixteen Candles (1984). Things are not what they appear to be, and the story does have a surprise ending, just like many other slasher films from the past.

Much to the chagrin of hardcore horror fans, Happy Death Day is rated PG-13. Although this does broaden the potential audience, to say that the movie is family friendly would be a stretch. There is some sexual material that would make for uncomfortable family viewing. Other than that, the kills are relatively tame and are cut abruptly. Blood and gore are practically absent. This is not important because the story is more than a mere slasher—Tree’s journey can be seen on a symbolic level. There are themes of jealousy, self-discovery, and redemption. The reoccurring day plot is probably very popular with teens and millennials. It is also an easy way to fill up the running time of a low-budget feature film as all of the scenes are shot in a small number of locations. Still, the movie manages to contain a lot of suspense and it keeps the audience wondering who the killer is. The music in the movie is minimal—which is understandable given the low-budget—but the underscore is ominous and helps to set the mood.

It is difficult to say that Happy Death Day is original and inventive, given that there are so many obvious influences from previous films. Based on the advertising materials alone, Happy Death Day would seem derivative of previous horror films. For example, the poster for Happy Death Day features a candle-lit birthday cake against a dark background. There is a knife stuck in the cake. This design is a direct rip-off from the film Happy Birthday to Me (1981), which is a much more sophisticated and involving slasher film. The whole storyline of Happy Death Day is a spin on the birthday horror concept introduced by Happy Birthday to Me, combined with the repeating day concept from Groundhog Day. The writers of Happy Death Day admit the latter, as there is a reference to Groundhog Day during a conversation between Tree and Carter.

Even though there are obvious influences from other films, Happy Death Day is an entertaining horror film that keeps the audience guessing who the killer is. The birthday murder mystery does take center stage, but there are other themes at play. Overall, Blumhouse has created another successful low-budget horror film. This one can please horror fans as well as viewers who may be less familiar with the genre, but enjoy the Groundhog Day concept.