The title Happy Death Day had me intrigued the moment my eyes peeked its existence on social media. After viewing the trailer with 50 Cent’s song “In Da Club” as the under score, I wasn’t sure if this film would scare the crap out of me or make me want to meet up with the girls for a chick-flick night out on the town. I started to wonder, “Why am I bobbing my head when I should be feeling goosebumps?” And then – yes – it happened! I started feeling the stain of intensity smeared on the final moments of the teaser. That made me more curious of what was to come. Okay, I was ready to go see this celebration of the Grim Reaper’s calling.
Deja vu…what, where and who is the mystery of this romantic-comedy-blood commemoration. Waking up to a self-centered day, that keeps going around and around and gets tangled up amidst her birthday, is college student Tree (Jessica Rothe).
The essence of the characters almost reminded me of the brat-pack films in the 80’s with a terrorizing turn of events. The unraveling of self-evaluation stabs the heart of this story with tender, yet quirky, hell-raising moments. The stereotypical flare through the iris of Tree’s privileged way of life is put to the test as she relives her flaws. It’s a non-stop deadly haze until her state of mind can truly wake up.
Emmy award-winning composer Bear McCreary (best known for his work on Battlestar Galactica, Outlander and The Walking Dead) created many layers of sound to accompany each shifting scene of emotion. I could feel the dark side of the score skulking under my skin before I could hear its eerie whisper whenever the villain ensued his prey.
If you need a little humor to take the edge off the scare factor, then this film will tickle your mind to ease as you prepare for the slasher extravaganza. Cheesy thrills turn into clever chills, reminiscent of a mixture of Harold Ramis’ classic film “Ground Hog Day” (starring Bill Murray) bleeding into the cult favorite horror film franchise “Scream” (directed by Wes Craven). These two genres crawling together will keep you wondering what mood will strike you next.
Blumhouse Productions has been releasing a vast array of thought-provoking horror films this year (including the block buster “Get Out“), fulfilling every scary movie lover’s taste. “Happy Death Day” (directed by Christopher Beau Landon) is the gift this fall that is now playing at a theater near you.
Samantha Hollins, aka Ghetto SongBird, is a multi-talented singer/songwriter, guitarist, poet/writer, photographer and all around creative soul, who passionately enjoys sharing her positive artistic energy and harmonic vibes. You can follow her, and get additional information about her next tour date, on her Facebook page here; and check out her reviews of Annabelle: Creation, The Beguiled, and The Girl With All The Gifts right here on MMT!
