Happy Death Day (2017) Review


Tree Gelbman is stuck reliving one day, that day is the day she is killed by someone. She must keep living it over and over until she can work out just who her killer is. Constantly waking back up in a dorm room she does not recognise and no matter what she does differently dying at the end of the day.

I guess it is a pretty interesting concept to turn Groundhog Day into a horror/thriller/mystery. The only problem is that it only half works and you find yourself only into the film for a short amount of time. It slowly loses itself and the unique feeling to it all when it gets muddled up and the ending does not really make a massive amount of sense when someone else seems to remember the day over and over again as well.

A film like this with the horror aspect must really have a totally creepy mask and that is something that it certainly does have. Therefore the first part of the film is pretty jumpy and creepy, as this day is also Tree’s birthday! Also is not a very nice person and pretty much everyone around her is a suspect as she does not treat people in the best way at all. Which I guess is one reason it takes her so long to work out who it was trying to kill her, although when we eventually find out the reason why then it kinda makes you want to laugh and think is that it? Out of all the possible reasons and her nasty nature to those around her it could have been a little more.

In terms of running time it is a pretty short film but after a while it doesn’t really feel like that. Although I guess the character development for Tree is pretty good as she does start to change, but is that too little too late? Why should she get many more chances after being unlikable? With the attitude that she can do what she wants and get away with it. Therefore you aren’t really totally bothered that she keeps getting killed, probably quite a strange thing to say but as we find out more about her we still don’t like her!

It tries to keep the twists and turns going from start to finish and each time the day is played over again it points the finger at someone different, I thought that was pretty impressive as it then linked to how she was then feeling towards that person. Some of the death scenes were pretty brutal and she probably dies in many ways imaginable. I am going to say that this film gives it a good effort, but I won’t really be finding myself watching it again. Groundhog Day without Billy Murray and the comedy aspect, which was interesting but just lacking too many things.



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