Christopher Landon's horror comedy follows the repetitive template of Groundhog Day. The protagonist is Tree (Jessica Rothe), a mean-as-nails sorority girl who wakes up one morning—on her birthday—in the dorm room of freshman Carter (Israel Broussard), not remembering how she got there. That night she's off to another party, but is waylaid by a masked figure who knifes her to death. And then she awakes in Carter's room again and repeats the same sequence a second time—with some minor changes—before being killed once more by the same person and again returning to Carter's room on the morning of her birthday. This routine continues, with events growing increasingly confused and Tree gradually mellowing as, with the help of Carter, she tries to identify her murderer and avoid being killed (the sudden appearance of an actual serial killer further muddies the waters). Happy Death Day is more clever than most of today's teen horror flicks, and it eschews excessive blood and gore. It also boasts agreeable leads in Rothe, who morphs from nasty to sweet nicely, and Broussard, who is handsome enough to make his initial dismissal as a dweeb implausible. But the film runs low on imagination in the home stretch, and the final revelation of Tree's would-be killer falls pretty flat. Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (10 min.), the production featurettes “Worst Birthday Ever!” (3 min.) and “Behind the Mask: The Suspects” (3 min.), an alternate ending (2 min.), and “The Many Deaths of Tree” behind-the-scenes segment (2 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a smart but uneven horror flick.] (F. Swietek)
Happy Death Day
Universal, 96 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $34.99 Volume 33, Issue 2
Happy Death Day
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