HAPPY DEATH DAY

released oUT NoW! 15 | 96 minutes Director Christopher landon Cast Jessica rothe, Israel broussard, ruby modine, rachel matthews

Once you get past the inescapable fact that Happy Death Day rips its central conceit straight from Groundhog Day – something that’s nodded to late on in the movie – there is enough to enjoy in the new Blumhouse stalk-and-slasher that you won’t mind the cinematic thievery.

That’s in large part down to an appealing central performance by Jessica Rothe as the unusually named Tree Gelbman, who finds herself repeating the day of her death over and over again. In concert with director Christopher Landon and writer Scott Lobdell, Rothe modulates her performance from its starting point as standard sorority mean girl, and allows the character to grow and change via her experiences. Think Cordelia from Buffy season one compared to Cordelia from Angel.

The horror side of things is relatively rote, and some of the scare scenes feel awfully familiar – the lights go out! There’s a noise! She turns, and the killer is in front of her! – but it’s helped by the fun of the time-looping. Of particular note is the montage where Tree effectively discovers her morbid superpower and tries to make the most of knowing what is to come from the more mundane elements of her day. Lightweight but likeable, Happy Death Day ends up as more than just Groundhog Slay. James White