Happy Death Day

If this had leaned more into horror comedy, it might have turned out better. While there are plenty of light-hearted scenes, the film often takes itself too seriously, and that's where it falls flat. The suspense doesn't work, and a bloodless slasher is unforgivable. The characters, including the protagonist, are incredibly unlikeable, and some dialogue scenes, especially the reunion between the daughter and her father, felt like I was watching a Lifetime TV movie. I love time loops, but it's a shame this horror film couldn't be more creative with the concept. Ultimately, it's just another disposable teen horror flick. The only upside is that they're already working on a sequel. PG-13 horror movies suck! (09/26/2018)

Far from great. The main character was unlikeable beyond belief, and there wasn’t a trace of a horror atmosphere. I decided to think of it as a student romantic comedy, and it worked quite well for me that way. As is typical for such films, I had a chance to see how much an average anorexic American woman can take, so I got to see her get up after a beating that would take down many a professional boxer, but I guess it kind of goes with the genre. (04/16/2018)

I don’t understand the success of this teen would-be slasher flick. It starts out with an interesting concept involving the repetition of the day the female protagonist wakes up and is murdered, but it then develops into repetitive banality without the necessary build-up and with a surprise that doesn’t take it anywhere. I’m giving this a very weak third star only for Jessica Rothe’s picturesque face. (07/29/2020)

Yeah. The idea is great, I fell in love with Jessica Rothe, the execution has a few weak spots, but I had quite a lot of fun and was always curious about what the next day would bring (and surprisingly, even the development of the relationship between Tree and Carter was good). The reveal of the villain comes from the screenwriting school of “it has to be someone”, but the film has earned my sympathies for its carefully dosed levity and also for holding together as a unique genre experiment... Beauty! 70% (02/28/2019)

At the end of the year, there will definitely be talk about how successful horror films have been. Most of them have taken the top spot at box office, most Stephen King adaptations in one year, and this year also belongs to teen horror, which seems very modern and I've liked them all so far, with the smart Better Watch Out, the fun The Babysitter, the scary It, the upcoming lauded Tragedy Girls, and now the group is expanded by Happy Death Day. Happy Death Day meets Edge of Tomorrow and Scream and it's mostly great fun. Jessica Rothe's alluring hottie and pretty bitch is having the biggest nightmare of her life. She's being chased by a killer with a very disturbing mask and razor blade who keeps killing her as she finds herself in a time loop from which she can only escape if she can guess the killer's identity. I'll mention at the outset that the biggest issue is the lack of gore, which with a premise this enticing is a bummer and will put off a lot of gore fans, but if you can get past that you're in for a decent time. It's very nicely shot, decently suspenseful, the soundtrack is great, the murders – although bloodless – are quite imaginative (the scene with the cop is one of the best), there is room for humor and the biggest attraction is the game of detective to guess the killer before the main character, which requires 120% attention because the final twist and reveal was very surprising. The director fucks with the viewer 360° and makes it clear that there are indeed intelligent filmmakers behind who definitely deserve success. The scene where the main character goes out into the yard naked and starts having an incredible time, I was wide-eyed like all the actors in the film. It won't suit everyone, but those who like to play with the genre and like Scream should be satisfied. 80% (10/25/2017)