There are certain stereotypes and tropes that have existed in the horror genre for decades. In the 80s, the slasher genre made popular the idea of a masked killer stalking a group of teenagers. As often was the case, a “final girl” was left as the killer’s last victim, being forced to do battle and reveal to the audience who has been picking off her friends one by one.
Sure, it’s formulaic, but the concept spawned hundreds of films and continues to inspire modern filmmakers to put their own spin on the sub-genre. Powerhouse production company Blumhouse has hired Christopher Landon (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES) to breathe life into their own clever take on the slasher film with HAPPY DEATH DAY. Instead of a group of kids each facing their individual demise, you have one girl standing in the place of them all. How, do you ask? It’s never fully explained, but Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) ends each day being killed by a baby mask-wearing killer and then wakes up to face it over and over and over again. And before you say it… yes, the film is very much aware of the classic comedy that they are borrowing the concept from.
This familiar structure works because the film plays around with slasher film motifs. Everyone who grew up with the sub-genre loves the staging of a good kill. While she may be living out the same day over and over again, Tree learns from each misstep which leads to a new and creative way for the killer to get her the next day. The deaths are fun without a focus on the blood and guts, even adding a tongue-in-cheek factor in some cases (an escape to the bedroom from a frat party takes a funny and disastrous turn).
Jessica Rothe’s character sort of embodies several female horror stereotypes all rolled into one, and I mean this in a good way. You have the bad girl that has a wild side, the comedic jester that farts and jokes with friends, and you even have the strong and determined final girl that outsmarts the killer, all packed into one character. She’s filled with gumption, but Rothe goes a little overboard with the delivery.
While the film embraces the nonsensical absurdity for two-thirds of its 96 min. duration, the last third amplifies it to parody-level theatrics. You almost expect the Mystery Science Theater 3000 hosts to pop in towards the end to riff on some of the nauseating moments, including one where our lead has a sequence of “self-discovery” moments. At that point though, the film had me mostly sold on its blend of self-aware and serious horror, even if the balance was a little uneven.
Many fans will be quick to point out that it’s not particularly scary. To that point, I would 100% agree. Sure, the mask is creepy – what 80s horror kid doesn’t love a good scary mask – however, the scariest element is the real-life horror insinuated by Tree questioning the men and women in her life. Like any good whodunnit, there’s always a question of who’s the killer. Director Christopher Landon emphasizes the personal players in her life. Despite his often pedestrian approach to staging the thrilling sequences, he does a fine job at putting the audience in her shoes. The threat is all around her and could be anyone in her life. So, while this specific paralyzing feeling might be creepy, horror fans might be more amused by the presence of “Death” instead of being actually afraid of it. HAPPY DEATH DAY is a film to moderately enjoy today, but not something that you will relive or remember tomorrow.
Overall score: 2.5 out of 5
HAPPY DEATH DAY opens in theaters Friday, October 13th
