Happy Death Day comes into theaters looking a lot like a horror ripoff of Groundhog day
Happy Death Day came in stabbing at the box office and slicing out Blade Runner with $26.5 million in its opening weekend starting Friday, Oct. 13–quite the fitting day. Happy Death Day is a horror version of the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray, but with a Nancy Drew twist. This film succeeds in keeping viewers on their seat edges, wondering what will happen next.
On Monday 18th, Theresa “Tree” Gelbman portrayed by Jessica Rothe, wakes up on her birthday in a boys dorm room as an angry grouch, talking to her mean sorority leader Danielle Bouseman played by Rachel Matthews, as well as getting a birthday cupcake from her nurse friend, Lori Spengler. On her way to a sorority party, she is killed by a mysterious killer wearing a baby mask. She then wakes up and discovers she is reliving the same day again. Theresa attempts to talk to people about what is going on with her, but people look at her like she is crazy, except the guy who’s dorm room she woke up in earlier, who tells her that she needs to think of this like a mystery. He suggests to make suspects and eliminate them when she know’s that it isn’t them. Theresa then starts to go Nancy Drew to help solve this mystery.
Happy Death Day starts off slowly, but pulls you back with the multiple crazy plot twists that knock the wind out of you– like the killer will soon do to the protagonist with the bat, and leave you wanting more. I mind you that the language may be viewed as a little the top for its PG-13 rating. The one thing I would like to see different is the length, for it feels like the movie was a little short. If they bumped the length it would be better and it wouldn’t feel so rushed.
Director Christopher Landon did a good job on this movie, and my favorite thing he did on this film was all the plot twists. If you are not a big horror fan, but want to watch a horror film, this is an easy, not-so-scary film that I recommend for you.