I didn't really know what to expect from "Happy Death Day"; When I first saw the trailer it looked like yet another generic horror film being released just in time for Halloween. However, the more I saw the trailer, my interest grew - and it seems like I wasn't the only one as "Happy Death Day" had an impressive opening weekend debut. The film certainly feels very low-brow and isn't in the same league as the more sophisticated "It", "Get Out" or "Split". Although the film is pretty trashy, it makes up for it with a great tone, a good lead performance and an interesting concept; For those reasons, I would happily watch the film again. 

Some will see this film as a "Groundhog Day" rip off..which it is. Despite this, I prefer to look at "Happy Death Day' as paying homage to such a genius idea and putting its on twist on the story. I think the whole set-up is very intriguing- there hasn't been a horror film like this before. It's also an interesting take on the 'mystery killer' plot; Even though it's just one person that the killer keeps murdering, "Happy Death Day" still manages to tick the boxes for an effective slasher film. With a plot that is so repetitive, it would be easy for audiences to become bored and tired of the same scenes. However, the lingering and knowing sense that Tree (Jessica Rothe) is going to be murdered at some point during each day keeps the audience on the edge of their seats and always engaged. "Happy Death Day" has a relatively light tone with many comedic moments; There's a self-awareness about the film and it effectively plays with genre conventions. For example, most of Tree's deaths mirror the deaths of most characters in slasher films. What stops "Happy Death Day" from coming across as dumb and generic is the light tone- the audience are aware the film isn't taking itself too seriously and therefore it's somewhat ok to find 'serious' scenes funny. 

It's rare that I get into a TV show but the ones I do get into are usually those that involve a 'mystery killer' element- for example, "Scream Queens" & "Scream - The TV Series". Liking these types of shows could explain why I was able to work out the mystery rather quickly. Either that or the mystery was incredibly obvious. "Happy Death Day" did do a good job of throwing me off though with a big misdirect towards the end. When it is 'falsely' revealed that the killer is Joseph Tombs (Rob Mello), a serial killer who escapes prison, I was annoyed as the worst kind of twists are the ones that are plucked out of thin air at the last minute (I know we do get a glimpse of Tombs on Tree's TV early on in the film) (maybe this is another example of the film poking fun at the dumbness of the horror genre?). The film successfully tricked me into thinking Tombs was the killer all along that I disregarded my previous theory that it was Lori (Ruby Modine). As a character, Lori seemed the most bland (it's always the bland ones who are actually the crazy ones), was a little off with Tree and let's not forget that Lori knew it was Tree's birthday. My case against Lori was strengthened when it was revealed she works in the hospital which increased the chances of her being involved in the Joseph Tombs fiasco. Then it was revealed...Lori was the killer after all! I felt a sense of accomplishment at this moment but it was bittersweet as it also meant that the film's mystery wasn't much of a mystery after all.

Thinking more into "Happy Death Day" has made me appreciate the film much more. It may seem like a low-brow teen horror on the surface but underneath it's a very knowing and self-aware flick that is poking fun at the genre. Another example of this could be the choice of mask for the mystery killer: a baby face; This is something that's not scary and actually looks rather odd; However, it still manages to come across as creepy as it's a particularly weird baby face. This is likely commenting on the trend of 'masked killers': the iconic 'Scream' mask, the Red Devil in "Scream Queens", the pig masks in "Saw" etc. Horror films often make weird costume choices for their masked killer and "Happy Death Day" is completely aware of that convention. Even though the mask shouldn't be that scary, it doesn't stop the film from creating a couple of tremendously effective jump scares towards the beginning of the film; the first two times Tree is murdered did have me jumping out of my seat- after that, her fate became more predictable so the film stopped trying with the scares. For that reason, I wouldn't say "Happy Death Day" is that scary at all...it has maybe two effective jump scares, isn't very gory and has a lighter, more comedic tone rather than a tense, fearsome one. However, that doesn't make it a failure of a horror film as I think that's exactly what the director was going for. When it's revealed that the cupcake Lori gives to Tree on her birthday is actually poisoned and that that was how Lori planned to kill Tree, the film's self-awareness of the dumbness of the genre truly was revealed. Lori then explains herself and her hatred for Tree is all down to a boy that prefers Tree over Lori. Sounds stupid? That's exactly what the writers were going for. Scott Lobdell is trying to make a point out of Tree living through hell all because she's getting attention from her room-mate's crush. It's either a commentary on teen culture, the horror genre or both. I gave Christopher Landon's previous film "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse" an abysmal write up...maybe I should revisit it with the angle that it could be commentary on the zombie sub-genre? Or maybe it's just a terrible film?

The key to "Happy Death Day"'s success is an impressive performance from Jessica Rothe who plays Tree. This is Rothe's first major lead role in a mainstream Hollywood flick and because of her performance, I'm sure she'll have many more to come. Despite the character of Tree not always being that likeable, Rothe makes sure the audience are always on her side. "Happy Death Day" could have easily fell into the trap of being a poorly acted, dumb teen horror but Rothe's performance does not belong in that type of film whatsoever. This is a star-turn for Jessica Rothe. Tree is one of the popular girls who lives quite a carefree live and is quite self-absorbed. However, throughout the film she turns that she could be a better person. The film also comments on some social issues towards the end when Tree believes she has killed her murderer- it's almost like an ideal representation of the world and Tree's life. The supporting cast all do a nice job; Israel Broussard is a likeable helper who the audience can't help but feel sceptical about; Ruby Modine is perfectly monotone and expressionless; Rob Mello is a pretty ruthless and terrifying criminal on the run. Even though the supporting cast give a solid effort, this is definitely Rothe's showcase. 

One issue I have with the film is that it fails to give much explanation around its interesting concept; why is Tree stuck in this loop? The film explains why her murderer is after her and what their motivations are but the audience are left in the dark as to why this time-loop is occurring. Possibly this is something that could be explained in a sequel but surely Tree would want to know the reason for not only somebody was killing her but why she was living in the same day over and over again? After the film being a low-budget success, I wouldn't be surprised if "Happy Death Day 2" pops up on our screens in the near future, I just really hope they explain the mythology behind the time loop.

"Happy Death Day" is a light-hearted, not very scary horror film. That being said, the film manages to play with and poke fun at the horror genre. The twist/reveal may be predictable for some but the film does a nice job of throwing eager viewers off the scent so they are kept guessing up until the very end. For a film about death, the actual deaths were not very graphic or memorable which may disappoint slasher fans. Expect to see more of Jessica Rothe in the future as she bursts onto screens in a memorable fashion. On it's surface, it may be a trashy and formulaic horror film but underneath, it's very knowing and self-aware. Minus a couple of jump scares in the first act, "Happy Death Day" is actually quite a fun time. The creators have successfully brought together "Scream" and "Groundhog Day" and managed to produce something that feels quite different for the horror genre.