It’s been a little over a week since Happy Death Day 2U was released in theaters and it’s no secret that it’s underperforming at the box office. The original film surprised when it opened Friday the 13th weekend back in October 2017 with a number one finish of $26 million. With a slim $4.8 million budget, the film was a huge hit, ultimately finishing with $55.6 million domestic and $125.4 million worldwide. The sequel, as of today, has grossed $21.7 million and isn’t likely to finish with much more than the opening of the first film.
Blumhouse makes things on the cheap so, with a $9 million budget, the sequel is in the clear but it’s easy to see why the sequel didn’t reach the heights of the original. The reason isn’t quality because Happy Death Day 2U is a solid horror comedy but it takes a Back to the Future 2 approach to its Groundhog Day horror slant and the result is a higher emphasis on sci-fi and comedy elements. The first film was promoted mostly as a slasher film and audiences were surprised to see that the film’s sense of humor was also a selling point. The sequel mostly sits on the backburner of slasher movie tropes and goes about the task of explaining the death loop that our main character is trapped in. Judging from reactions on Twitter, this has turned off some moviegoers but for me, this entry only proves that the Happy Death Day franchise gets horror comedy right and that is a very difficult thing to do.
As the movie begins, we’re back in the world where the first movie transpired but we have jumped to another character. Ryan Phan (Phi Vu), a supporting personality in Happy Death Day, is having a bad day and it gets worse when someone wearing a creepy babyface mask kills him. He doesn’t really die but instead wakes up just in time to relive the day. When he comes into contact with Tree (Jessica Rothe) and confesses his sense of déjà vu, she commiserates. Unfortunately, in their attempts to solve Ryan’s condition, the trio of Tree, Ryan, and Tree’s boyfriend, Carter (Israel Broussard), trigger a space-time event that re-starts Tree’s repetition cycle. This time, however, she has been transported to a parallel universe where her mother is alive, her roommate is sane, and someone else is playing the part of the killer. The goal is to heal the breach, stop the loop, and deal with the fact that Carter is dating her best friend, Danielle (Rachel Matthews). To speed things up, rather than waiting for the babyface slasher to slice-and-dice her, Tree starts killing herself in over the top ways to get get to the bottom of the mystery.
Director and writer Christopher Landon does a good job making the first film and the second film feels very closely connected. Over a year has passed between the release of the two films but it feels as though they were shot back to back. Continuity ends up being the film’s biggest asset because it’s clear a lot of time and effort has gone into creating this little horror universe. Happy Death Day 2U may have been made on a limited budget, but it never feels like it was. Landon utilizes every cent he was given to make the film and it’s a credit to him that everything looks and feels seamless.
If you’re going into the film expecting more horror, you may be disappointed. The slasher element is extremely toned down but, in reality, the slasher aspect of the films has always been more of a device rather than a crucial plot thread. Happy Death Day was rooted in comedy and its sequel goes all out in that regard. A lot of the comedy is derived from how Tree goes about executing her demise when she needs to reset the loop. The funniest montage of the film has the character killing herself in truly comedic ways (one involves a wood chipper that is bound to make you cringe as you laugh out loud). The first film had a similar montage of Tree meeting her end but the sequel has a better identity of itself and isn’t afraid to poke fun at its situation a bit.
There have been some comparisons to Back to the Future 2 and while I would never accuse this film of being on its level, it’s easy to see why. The film not only utilizes the time loop but it also dives into parallel universes and this ends up being a surprisingly emotional component of the film. In one universe, Tree’s deceased mother is alive and well but Tree isn’t with her boyfriend Carter. Tree wants nothing more to be with her mother but even things in this seemingly perfect universe are very off and living in it creates tragic results for the people that Tree has come to know and love. For a horror film that’s steeped in comedy, it presents a rather poignant moral dilemma that is actually given the attention it deserves.
The majority of the film’s success is due to Jessica Rothe who has superb comic timing and isn’t afraid to go full out with her performance. She runs the emotional gauntlet in this film and never misses a beat. What struck me the most about her was that she also has solid emotional chops and even if this is her last foray with this franchise, she is going to be one to watch in other projects. The supporting cast is sufficient and does what’s necessary but this is no doubt her film.
Happy Death Day 2U is breezy and doesn’t overstay its welcome. The film is an example of the Blumhouse model of not only making films that make sense from a monetary standpoint but also their desire to try something new with their projects. The meta-horror/comedy/sci-fi bent may not be for everyone but the film is creative in its approach and takes chances. Happy Death Day may have been the bigger box office success but the sequel is destined for some kind of cult status that will garner it the recognition it deserves.
