While the new Blumhouse Productions film 'Happy Death Day' doesn't break any new, revolutionary ground, it blends comedy with horror expertly, succeeding in remaining interesting for the entirety of the constantly looping events within its storyline.
Held together by the brilliantly bitchy Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe), 'Happy Death Day' follows a girl cursed with reliving her murder over and over, waking up on the morning of her birthday only to be killed that night by a masked mystery figure, before abruptly waking to experience it all again.
Jessica Rothe plays a sassy, unbothered college student all too well. As she goes about her day for the first time, we see her roll her eyes, storm away from and talk down to multiple people; a device used well by the film's writers in order to open the murder up to a number of suspects.
As mentioned earlier, this film doesn't try to be something next-level and beyond imagination. Based on the writing, the spot-on cast from the leads to ensemble and the general flow of the story however, it's an enjoyable watch from beginning to end. Though the premise of the film may put it at risk of feeling repetitive, each new version of Tree's birthday is slightly different as she begins to realise what's happening and tries to solve her own murder.
Special mention to Israel Broussard who plays Carter Davis, too. His willingness to help Tree to understand what's going on makes him a loveable character and Israel does a fantastic job in his role.
If you're someone who isn't a fan of gorey, terrifying horror films, 'Happy Death Day' is a good place to start. There's blood, jumps and that low, humming horror film music we all know and love, but if you're only partial to a horror film here and there it's not going to paralyse you with fear.
The comedy interlaced with the darker themes means it's an easy watch; the crew behind 'Happy Death Day' have truly hit the nail on the head when it comes to balancing those two very different genres.
This is a great film to see for simple scares and a good laugh. Though it most likely won't receive critical acclaim and praise the world over, it's not asking for those things nor will it be any less enjoyable without them.
★★★★☆
