Review of Happy Death Day (2017) by Dale R — 11 Aug 2018

Happy Death Day is the first (and so far only) time I went to see a movie on a whim. More so, because I never go to see horror movies in theaters. Along with comedies, horror movies never felt like they were worth a theater going experience.

So my going to see Happy Death Day wasn't based on it being a horror movie. It actually first caught my attention when I saw the TV spots for the movie. I took notice of the "time loop" storyline and that at least made me curious.

Then I realized that October was going to be a mostly scarce month for movies. I had seen two movies by myself this year already, and they were both disappointments. I needed to see a movie that would redeem the year for me.

Happy Death Day has a "time loop," an attractive lead, and plus it was Friday the 13th, so I figured why not. It was a good idea, because Happy Death Day is a lot of fun. Tree (short for Theresa) is your typical selfish college girl who sleeps around and parties.

She wakes up on her birthday and lives out her day until she is suddenly killed by a killer in a baby mask. The "time loop" plays out pretty much as you'd expect (a lot like Groundhog Day).

With the main character first being confused, then having a break down, then doing whatever they want, and then finally improving their life. The horror element felt like it came in at just the right moments.

Though the best thing about the movie is easily Jessica Rothe's performance. Her character is funny, smart, and eventually badass. I definitely wasn't expecting much from this movie. Happy Death Day was a very pleasant surprise.