Tis the season to be spooked!
As October’s first horror-thriller movie release, “Happy Death Day” is a time-bending slasher film with playful undertones. From the masterminds of “Paranormal Activity,” “The Purge,” and “Get Out,” “Happy Death Day” is a more entertaining than frightening candidate in the horror-thriller genre. The story follows a mean sorority girl, “Tree”, who is murdered on her birthday and begins reliving the day over and over again. At that point, she sets out to find the killer (whose hidden behind a creepy baby-faced mask) in order to stop her repeating death. Her suspect list is long due to her selfish and bitchy persona, which justifies why someone’s out to kill her. Tree’s cycle of waking up, freaking out, and eventually dying (a different way each time) brings comic relief. Tree is on the brink of a nervous breakdown during the first resurrections, but soon becomes aware of the routine of dying. She marginally becomes better-tempered and realizes she has the power to end the continuous murders, making the film enjoyable to watch. Based off the trailer, I didn’t expect this movie to be scary at all. And for the most part it wasn’t. However, the suspense and anticipation of finding out the identity of the killer had me on the edge of my seat. Most would expect the movie to become repetitive, but the plot shifts into a mystery (more so than horror) as Tree begins a hunt to uncover her masked killer. As the movie picks up, the unexpected situations Tree face will have you fully engrossed and wanting more. Overall, I give this film a 7 out of 10, only because it had very little gore and horror. Nevertheless, I do recommend seeing this film for a roller-coaster ride of suspense. I, for one, would gladly watch it again — just not tomorrow.