After being murdered on her birthday, Tree Gelbman wakes up back at the start of the day. With no end in sight, she sets out to find her killer and put an end to things. As far as hooks go, it’s a very intriguing one. It sets up a slasher flick with only one victim and explores that idea thoroughly. It’s not exactly a complicated story though and the mythos isn’t all that developed either, but Happy Death Day isn’t about overly complex plots or time loop theories. It’s a day in the life and death of Tree, full of detail and on repeat. She explores, manipulates, and fights back against this one day trying to make it to the next one. It’s less horror than it is just a dark comedy that flirts with being a thriller, but it’s easily digestible and really quite enjoyable. It’s a great piece of PG-13 horror cinema.
