Happy Death Day - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Happy Death Day


Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
What is it about guilty pleasures? You know they’re wrong. You know that it’s complete and utter trash, but for some reason I can’t help but watch that type of movie over and over. It’s like buying Twinkies and hot dogs. You know they’re made from chemicals and scraps, you know they’re just adding unwanted calories, but still you can’t help but stuff a package down your throat while feeling ashamed about it. Happy Death Day fits that to a T for the horror genre. It’s a movie that you KNOW is bad, has cliches and tropes running throughout it, but the movie has a white trash sort of charm running through it that I can’t help but love. As such, this is what I call a “hybrid” film rating. The movie itself is pure 2.5/5 “meh” material from an objective stand point, but I had SUCH a blast with the film that I almost wanted to rate it a solid 4/5 for enjoyment factor. Which is where the 3.5/5 rating comes from.

How many of you thought to yourself “you know what would be fun? Mixing Groundhog Day with Mean Girls and stick it right in the horror genre!”. OK, I’m pretty sure that no one has ever said that before, but that’s exactly what Happy Death Day is. I find it ironic that I LITERALLY just got done reviewing the 4K UHD remaster of Groundhog Day this weekend, and now we have a film that steals directly from it (even nodding and winking at the camera in the final shot of the movie as the characters refer to what happens as being straight out of Groundhog Day) and just has fun with the concept. Tree Gelberman (Jessica Rothe) is a HORRIBLE witch of a woman. She’s your stereotypical college frat girl who has her nose in the air and her legs spread open for all the wrong guys. The film starts with her jolting awake in a strange boy’s dorm room bed, only to find out that she got a BIT too drunk last night and went home with this “loser” named Carter (Israel Broussad) only to stumble out of bed and begrudgingly drag her hungover butt back home to her sorority sisters. Snobbishly turning up her nose at her roommate Lori’s attempts at a birthday cupcake (Lori being played by Matthew Modine’s daughter Ruby) sleazes her way through the day until her surprise birthday party. Stumbling alone in a dark alley, Tree is set upon by a masked individual and stabbed, only to instantly wake up in Carter’s bed once more at the start of the day.

Confused and terrified, Tree starts to relive the same day over, and over, and over again. Each time ending the same way. The masked person finds her and kills her in some gruesome way, only for the sorority ditz to wake up in Carter’s bed and figure out just who is doing this to her. The film plays out a bit tongue in cheek, with Tree trying to figure out WHO wants to kill her (she figures out really quickly that this happens ON her birthday, and it has to be someone who knows that the date is significant) in differing ways. I had a bit chuckle watching her paint herself up in camo and grease paint with military binoculars as she spies on her friends goings on. One by one she scratches off her friends, but STILL she keeps dying at the hands of the madman!

I won’t spoil the third act where things take a sharp turn, but the film up until that act is a strange mix of hilarious and tension filled. The film really does play out like Mean Girls in many ways, with Tree and her sorority girls the stereotypical ditzes who are mean to everyone. And you guessed it, Tree has to learn the valuable lesson of being nice to people and turn over a new leaf by the end of the film. Yup, nothing new there. The same type of transformation that Bill Murray has to undergo in Groundhog Day, except he just wakes up every morning in the same place, and isn’t murdered. I did find it a cool twist that her dying was the trigger to reset, and as she experiments and tweaks the day slightly, she is able to use that knowledge in narrowing down who her nemesis is.

All in all I had a BLAST with Happy Death Day. The irreverent Mean Girls tone in a slasher movie is a lot of fun, and the unique twists that they add to the Groundhog Day framework is a lot of fun. With that being said, there are enough horrible cliches in the movie to bring it down a few notches for me. The biggest was that there are SOOOOOOOOO many horror tropes in there that the film is very VERY predictable (the saving grave of the movie is the feel and texture of it more than the mechanics), and by the time the third act rolls around it loses a lot of steam in the tension department. Then we have what’s called a “happy horror movie ending” where the film wraps up neatly without the floor being pulled out from under the victim. A lot of horror fans HATE a happy ending for a horror movie (which is why most successful or popular ones have that final scene where you find out everything is NOT alright), but it works for the film in my opinion, because of the hybrid nature. Not to mention the fake out of the who the real villain is was seen a mile away (although I didn’t predict who ACTUALLY was the villain, which was a nice twist). It’s a shoddily made film, but it’s just like those twinkies I mentioned before. They’re made of garbage, but it’s so much fun that I had a guilty guilty great time with it.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for violence/terror, crude sexual content, language, some drug material and partial nudity




Video:

The film’s shooting style doesn’t lend itself towards fancy colors or bright and shiny scenarios, but it IS well detailed and makes good use of the digital photography (I sadly could find no information on the cameras used or the resolution the master was finished at). The film employs a fairly neutral color grading, with only slight hints of teal and honey depending on the location. Details are rather nice, with up close shots showing the best of the bunch, and wide angle shots looking noticeably softer. Blacks are dark and inky, but the amber/honey colors sometimes wash some of the outdoor night shots out just a little bit. It’s a good looking transfer, and one that is technically sound even though it isn’t flashy.






Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track, though, is easily the highlight of the film. It’s just what you would expect from a horror track. Loud, aggressive, wildly energetic in the surrounds, and got plenty of thump in the low end for those jump scares. Dialog is precise and clear at all times, while the surrounds get ample workout with the tense score and the boisterous party scene that Tree is reliving. It’s a well crafted track that really does feel like you’re right in the heart of the terror, and that final act with the “killer” at the hospital and rocking and hard hitting.





Extras:

• Alternate Ending
• 3 Deleted Scenes
• Worst Birthday Ever
• Behind the Mask
• The Many Deaths of Tree

Final Score: ​

Is Happy Death Day a fantastic horror movie? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Of course not. It’s a weak movie that copies several other movies and full of ridiculous plot holes. HOWEVER, it’s that hybridization of of differing films, mixed with some cheeky humor that really endeared the film to me way more than it really should have. I logically understand that this is not the greatest horror movie ever, but I had a blast with it and if you go in with that mindset, I think will work for you as well. Universal gives us a nice package with great video and fantastic audio, and the extra are actually really fascinating (and does a good job at dissecting a few things I had questions on in the film itself). DEFINITELY one of those movies that you grab at $9.99 or under, and a deliciously guilty pleasure for yours truly.





Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine
Directed by: Christopher Landon
Written by: Scott Lobdell
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish DTS 5.1
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 16th, 2018

Recommendation: Guilty Pleasure

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. This one always looked interesting. I will definitely rent it.

 

[Michael Scott]

I actually think you'll like this one Asere... yours and my tastes for horror movies line up rather evenly I've noticed.

 

[Asere]

I actually think you'll like this one Asere... yours and my tastes for horror movies line up rather evenly I've noticed.

The mask in this movie reminds me of the mask from Valentines Day if I remember correctly.

 

[Michael Scott]

Valentines day? or are you thinking of "My Bloody Valentine"?

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will see it once available on Amazon prime/netflix.

 

[Asere]

Valentines day? or are you thinking of "My Bloody Valentine"?

Sorry I meant to say Valentine (2001) with Denise Richards.

 

[Michael Scott]

oh wow, I forgot about that movie. Just glanced at the cover, yeah it does kinda look like that mask

 

[Asere]

oh wow, I forgot about that movie. Just glanced at the cover, yeah it does kinda look like that mask

Yup, I have it on dvd. I may have to watch it again soon

 

[Todd Anderson]

Was this direct to disc?

 

[Michael Scott]

no, it was a theatrical release

 

[Asere]

Well I saw this movie and I really liked it. I thought it was not perfect by any means but was creative. I liked how the Universal pictures keeps repeating over and over a couple of times at the beginning. Crazy cool!

 

[Michael Scott]

I was pretty sure you'd enjoy this one Asere. It felt right up our alley in that respect