Although many of us, ahem, older folks would jump at the chance to relive the glory days of college, if we had to do it indefinitely we might rethink that opportunity. Especially if each of those days ended in our own murder. Yet that’s exactly what sorority girl Tree must do in this fun and satisfying horror-light movie in order to find out exactly who is killing her and to attempt to force a different outcome. Think of it as Groundhog Day meets enter-name-of-most-any-slasher flick meets, um, Mean (College) Girls.
Awakening one September morning – on her birthday no less – in the dorm room of a probable hook-up, Tree takes the “walk of shame” back to her sorority. We see her typical snooty day, meeting the many possible suspects along the way, until she is (first) murdered later that evening. She immediately wakes at the same time, on the same day, in the same dorm room. As this cycle continues, and she is murdered in a new way each night, she begins to think her crazy, deja vu-ish existence may actually allow her to identify her killer and prevent her own death. Mixed with humor and heart, Happy Death Day is a not-too scary horror movie that’s smart and clever.
- Top Scare: Nighttime walkway
- Heartbeats: 2 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
- Suspense Factor: 2 3/4 out of 5
- Recommended for 15 and up due to extensive cursing and college-life depictions