‘HAPPY DEATH DAY’ is like ‘GROUNDHOG DAY’ for the horror film loving set

Jessica Rothe and her killer in HAPPY DEATH DAY. Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

There’s nothing more I value in films than ingenuity – especially in the horror genre. And it appears as if co-writer-director Christopher Landon (SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE) has gifted us with a very clever twist within the trope-riddled genre with HAPPY DEATH DAY.

In the film, a college student (Jessica Rothe) is forced to relive the day of her murder with both its unexceptional details and terrifying end until she discovers her killer’s identity.

The film also stars: Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Charles Aitken and Laura Clifton.

This seems like it’s both a spin on GROUNDHOG DAY, but moreso on tropes in the genre itself. Our heroine will most likely be a final girl of sorts, however, it seems like in the grander picture of things she’s more akin to the “slaughter babe,” who the killer slashes far before getting to the final girl. Plus, we’ll get some insanely fun kills. What’s not to love?!

HAPPY DEATH DAY opens on October 13.

Courtney Howard

Courtney Howard is a LAFCA, CCA, OFCS and AWFJ member, as well as a Rotten Tomatometer-approved film critic. Her work has been published on Variety, She Knows and Awards Circuit.