If you’re looking for a movie to terrify you to your very core this October, Christopher Landon’s “Happy Death Day” is not it.
If you’re looking for a cute and amusing film to get you into the Halloween mood, however, this might fit the bill.
Featuring newer stars such as Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard, the film is essentially a spinoff of the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day.”
Protagonist Tree Gelbman must relive the same day (her birthday) over and over again until she determines who her killer is.
She continuously wakes up in the dormitory bedroom of Carter Davis, a boy who she was with at a party the night before.
With his help, she proceeds to go through a list of individuals whom she believes could have had cause to murder her.
Along the way, she experiences a change of heart and turns her life around in the hopes that if she becomes a better person, she will be able to stop the killer from harming her.
The ending is somewhat predictable, with a spin that doesn’t necessarily make sense with the rest of the movie, but the jump scares sprinkled throughout the film makes it one that should be somewhat enjoyable to young people seeking a “scary” movie this season.
Rated PG-13 for crude/inappropriate humor and some language, “Happy Death Day” is honestly more of a darker romantic comedy than a horror movie.
Perhaps if that had been involved in the advertising campaign, it would not have been such of a let-down for horror buffs eager to see a freaky flick.

3/5 Stars