An entertaining mesh of horror-comedy hijinks, Happy Death Day makes the most out of its Groundhog Day meets slasher movie premise, while introducing a charismatic new talent in Jessica Rothe.

“Time-loop” movies can be tricky territory for filmmakers, since essentially the structure can be, well, repetitive if not done right. Happy Death Day thankfully avoids such pitfalls. Although not the first horror movie to have a time-loop structure (that would be the ultra-low budget Camp Slaughter), Happy Death Day is sure to be an accessible and fun alternative for those who don’t like their horror too bloody or intense. While there is a scare factor to be sure, Happy Death Day works best as a comedy with slasher style flourishes, and a game lead in Jessica Rothe who plays the parts of scream queen and comedic foil with much personality and spunk.

Rothe stars as Tree Gelbman, a stuck-up college student who begins the day waking up in a stranger’s dorm room, and ends the night dead at the hands of a masked killer. And so, the day repeats itself over and over, while Tree investigates her impending death and learns some valuable life lessons along the way. Oh, and it’s also her birthday.  

As directed by Christopher Landon (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) and written by Scott Lobdell (Man of the House), Happy Death Day makes the most of its high concept plotting to make for an entertaining and intriguing “whodunnit?” with a twist. While not in any way a terrifying horror movie, there are plenty of slasher shenanigans abound to get pulses racing when needed.

Instead Happy Death Day works much better as a comedy, with its time-loop structure offering all manner of silliness which the film embraces. In the broad church which is the horror genre (where you can find Shaun of the Dead and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre rubbing shoulders), Happy Death Day firmly belongs in date-night territory, a fun an accessible alternative in these torture porn times.

A big factor to its success is the performance by Jessica Rothe, who is a hoot as a murder victim caught in a never-ending cycle of violence and retribution. Time-loop movies often offer a rich character arch for its actors to work with, and Rothe uses her first lead role in a feature to show off her physical comedy chops in a hoot of a performance.

Produced by Jason Blum through his highly successful Blumhouse Productions, Happy Death Day follows on from 2017 success stories Split and Get Out. If these three films are any indication, then the future of mainstream horror is indeed very bright.