There have been a few “comedy slasher” movies that have come up over the years. A film like Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil and The Cabin in the Woods as well as You’re Next are all perfect examples of meshing two genres to provide buckets of entertainment.
Today, we’ll be talking about “Happy Death Day” which released in 2017. To get an idea of what this movie is all about, you have to think “Groundhog Day” featuring Bill Murray and “Scream” featuring a whole bunch of actors that get gruesomely murdered throughout the film.
If you haven’t seen Groundhog Day, it’s about a reporter who stuck in a town and continually lives the same day over and over again until he does “something right.” Similarly, Happy Death Day follows the same protocol, except in this version the protagonist gets offed in more ways than you can count.
The Story
The story begins on a college campus (as many Slasher films do) where we meet Tree (played by Jessica Rothe). She wakes up in a man’s dorm room, hungover and in all likeliness ready to embark on the “walk of shame.”
Throughout the movie, there are several ‘key characters,’ all of whom could be the killer. In the beginning, she goes through her day like she would and eventually makes her way to a party where she gets murdered by the Slasher.
The killer is dressed up in a hoodie and has a mask of the school mascot, which looks like a warped version of Big Boy. She loses the battle and dies. Only to wake up again and having to do the day all over again.
Throughout the rest of the movie, she begins to spy on suspects, especially since she is the only character in the plot that can remember what happened the “day before.” Thus, she embarks on a quest to find out who wants to kill her and finds out a lot about the ‘would-be-killer.’
As is familiar with most Slasher movies, you’ll dupe into believing that “one of the main suspects” is the killer only to find out that you were mistaken and that your detective skills are by no means the Sherlock you thought you were.
Nonetheless, Tree has to die several times until she eventually figures out the way to alter her fate and survive the end of the movie.
What makes this movie enjoyable?
Okay, it’s not brilliant. It’s not going to change your life in any aspect, however, for those of us who like Slasher movies and have grown accustomed to the clichés frequently used within the genre, this film provides a sense of familiarity with a side of “strange.”
The meshing of “Groundhog Day” with “Scream” provides a unique take on the classic genre. The protagonist becomes much more complicated throughout the movie. She is both the victim and the heroin. It makes the film unique in that aspect.
You can prepare yourself for a few “jump scares,” however, the mechanical nature of the murder scenes makes getting “scared” not your number one priority. Thus, can we safely say it’s a slasher movie?
Well, it is somewhat a slasher movie since the entire purpose of the killer is to slash the protagonist, however, it’s more of a mystery movie with comedic nuances throughout the plot.
As mentioned, your life won’t be changed by this movie. Movies like “You’re Next” just knocked the horror-comedy genre to the next level, providing a sense of realism to the entire world where movies like Scream simply ignored.
Of course, following the same vein as most Slasher flicks, the intended audience will in all likeliness enjoy the movie to the end. If you do experience these kinds of movies, you’ll probably enjoy this one a lot. As mentioned, it’s a unique take on an old genre providing you with a more in-depth analysis of the plot structure, the character development while keeping a mysterious essence throughout the entire duration of the film.
Should you watch this movie?
While I did mention that this movie will not change your life, it is entertaining. If you like blood, gore and all the cringe-worthy murders of a traditional slasher film, this video is probably for you. If you’re a bit squeamish or require a deeper level of realism…, I’d not watch this movie.
Nonetheless, I do applaud the writers for bringing a twist in a classic genre and giving the audience a unique version of a classical style.
In the end, it’s up to preferences, and while Horror Comedies have been around for quite some time, it seems that each new director is trying to up the game.
We are grateful to writing agency www.advancedwriters.com for providing us with this horror movie review written by a freelance essay writer.
Categorised in: Horror Movies
This post was written by Nadia Vella