The riveting tale of death, repeating twists and comic turns arrives once more in Happy Death Day 2U. This time, our hero Tree (Rothe) discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead.

The original Happy Death Day blew me away with its solid original concept and theatrical execution, and the hotly anticipated sequel, Happy Death Day 2U takes the crazy one step further. Returning director Christopher Landon raises the stakes here and he really plays with audiences expectations and his film’s super original time-warp slasher premise. Landon works to expand the premise of the film’s universe here and he really takes his audience for a trip this time into a plethora of exotic dimensions, and they all spell murder for Tree. While the film is firmly a horror film, Landon really expands on its science fiction premise and this results in a crazy genre mash-up that constantly spins you around with thrills that you can never see coming.

Like its predecessor, Happy Death Day 2U is once again a great combination of both horror and comedy, and there’s plenty of it on offer here. While there are moments of shocking horror here, the film’s emphasis really lends itself more to comedy this time around and with an expanded canvas we also get to see a lot more of the supporting characters come into play here. Phi Vu’s stoned-out science major Ryan Phan and Rachel Matthews’ all-bitch sorority leader Danielle Bouseman come to the forefront and both have great comedic timing, especially Matthews who really goes for it with her kooky, crazy and totally bitchy performance as Danielle.

And then there’s also Tree. Ahhh poor Tree. This girl just can’t catch a break and once again Jessica Rothe really shines in the role. After she finds herself in another time loop, with plenty of interesting new developments, she’s confronted by some very hard choices and a desperate need to get out. I enjoyed Rothe in the first movie and her character development here is really absorbing as she faces an impossible choice and this leads to plenty of growth within her character.

But while Tree might have the chance to relive the past and develop moral character she also has to die over and over and over again. Yep, it wouldn’t be Happy Death Day 2U without plenty of gnarly death scenes and once more Tree finds both the horror and the hilarity as she faces a ticking clock and plenty of death. And she really gets creative this time around with things such as drain cleaner, wood chippers and sky diving to name a few. But while death is always around the corner for Tree, it begins to have real consequences for her and Landon masterfully handles it here as we brace ourselves for whether Tree will actually make it out alive….or not.

With an equal shot of horror and comedy, Happy Death Day 2U makes for a great cocktail of a movie and is an even more perfect watch this Valentines Day. Ready yourself for a multitude of twists and turns because Happy Death Day 2U is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Image: Universal Pictures

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When Theresa ‘Tree’ Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) wakes up on her birthday she never thought she’d be murdered. But then again she never thought she’d wake up….to be murdered all over again. Thus a vicious and dangerous pattern starts where Tree awakes to face the same nightmarish day over and over again with a killer that is always waiting for her. Unless she can figure out who the murderer is and stop the cycle it’s a destiny she’ll have to live out….forever!

Originality is a very hard thing to do in the horror genre. It’s a genre whose conventions have been engrained in the minds of cinemagoers for decades, and this is especially felt with the slasher genre which reached its peak craze during the 90s with the likes of Scream (my all time favourite horror film) and I Know What You Did Last Summer franchises. But thankfully Happy Death Day does something different. While it maintains the college campus setting, crazed knife-wielding maniac and a teen coed victim, writer/director Christopher B. Landon throws in a good dose of sci-fi thanks to a time-loop plot point which sets the stage for a really zany and entertaining horror ride.

Make no mistakes, Happy Death Day has some pretty gruesome kills and the horror is pretty gnarly, but the plot device of the time loop adds a dimension of quirkiness and eventful comedy that really makes this film enjoyable. While some of Tree’s death scenes are truly horrifying, others are well flat out laugh out loud funny! That and the unexpectedness of the plot and the twists and turns that the film takes really gets you thinking as an audience member. I really liked this approach as there was a certain detective element to the film and while watching it I found myself building my own suspect list and trying to figure out, along with Tree, who her killer was. It’s so refreshing to see a horror film that makes its audience think and is a tribute to how smart Landon is as a writer/director.

Credit has to be given to Jessica Roche as Tree. Her performance is great and very multilayered. While she starts out as the typical dumb blonde, self-involved sorority girl as the film unfolds through her multiple deaths we begin to discover a far more complicated person who is suffering from some very big issues. Your sympathy definitely builds for Tree and by the third act you are hoping like hell that she discovers who her killer is! And did I mention that Roche plays scared very well. Yep, this girl is a real scream queen and she meets some very intense death scenes.

Out of all the horror sub-genres the slasher genre is by far and away my favourite and Landon does a great job of updating it for a millennial audience. While we all spent our teenage years devouring these twisted little gems, Landon is obviously a study of the genre and has used his knowledge to bring something new to it. I’ve gotta say that he sure is inventive when it comes to killing his protagonist and the kills come in equal doses of viciousness and tongue-and-cheek comedy. For a seasoned slasher veteran like myself, it was a welcome relief to see a different approach being taken to the genre and all of her deaths make Tree a stronger character.

If you’re looking for something that is different and clever, along with providing equal doses of fear-inducing horror and zany comedy then Happy Death Day is one film you should definitely sit down and watch. It takes risks in a genre that normally relies too much on tropes and convention and seriously shakes things up.

Image: Paramount Pictures

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