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| Topic | Board 8 Ranks 2010s Horror Movies - Chapter 2 - *THE RANKINGS* |
| Snake5555555555 05/22/22 12:41:40 AM #176: | Suprak - A- Im an absolute sucker for a fun slasher movie, and Happy Death Day is fun as hell. Basically the pitch is what if Groundhog Day was a slasher/mystery instead but we try to keep as much as the comedic undertones as possible and thats what we get. Like a lot of horror/comedies, it leans a bit heavier on the comedy and there really isnt all that much horror once it becomes obvious that Jessica Rothe is in no real danger because she just keeps coming back. There is just enough here where it still feels genre appropriate, and while I wouldnt consider this a scary movie it does a good job hitting all the right beats for a while even though Jessica Rothe winds up seeming more annoyed about getting killed than anything else. Jessica Rothe here is great as Tree, which is a name so weird I remember it and I almost never remember character names in movies. Is Tree a nickname? Is her name actually fucking Tree? Im assuming it was a nickname but I dont remember her real name. Regardless of the fact her name is Tree, shes great in this. Shes great as a horror actress and a comedic actress and even a romantic actress, and its amazing she hits every single beat she needs to. Outside of MYSTERY MOVIE X on this list, I think Tree and whoever the hell the guy was happened to be the couple I wanted to wind up together the most. She carries the film, and I dont think this movie is nearly as fun if she isnt as good as she is. The rest of the cast here isnt bad, but this is the kind of movie where the lead needs to be perfect to work, and Jessica Rothe here is very close to being so. If I was looking for stuff to complain about, Id probably say that it isnt really laugh-out-loud funny (nor scream-out-loud scary for that matter) even though there were plenty of parts that made me smile. Its more fun than funny, and my favorite scene of the filim is the montage of all the weird ways shes dying as she launches her investigation. I did like the ending overall, though, and the first time I saw this the misdirect actually worked on me. I thought it was less clever than it actually was, so when the killer was random serial killer who killed Trees mom and they started wrapping things up, I was on board. The actually ending winds up being even better, and they do a nice job laying out clues so it is really obvious in retrospect. Im sure there are people who thought this was telegraphed fairly clearly early on, but I was at least caught offguard by the final reveal of her roommate. So you have the horror and mystery sort of working, and the comedy mostly working, and it is just a well executed film from the start (and I mean the literal start Im a sucker for films that play around with the opening logos a bit like this one does). This isnt the best movie on the list, but it is the one Ive watched the most and it is almost certainly the one that will have the most re-watches in my lifetime. It is just so enjoyable, even on multiple viewings, and it feels like a movie that accomplishes everything it sets out to. It isnt the scariest movie on the list, but it isnt trying to be. It also isnt the horror/comedy that digs the deepest into genre conventions or offers particularly insightful commentary on deeper things, be it societal or theatrical related issues. But, again, it isnt trying to be. There are other movies on this list that I feel like got robbed from Oscar nominations and ones that elevate the genre, but sometimes I feel like you just need room for fun and Happy Death Day is just that. Pure, well-made, well-executed, well-thought out fun, and I dont really want anything else from it. BetrayedTangy - One of my favorite things about a blind watchthrough is trying to guess whats going to happen solely based on the title and well this one took me for a loop (pun intended). I remember upon first hearing the title I had thought Wow they ran out of holidays, so now theyre doing birthdays?. Thankfully it proved me wrong and ended up being the best Holiday Horror movie out there. I think what makes HDD feel so fresh is that it takes so many exhausted tropes and spins them to better suit the tone. Take Tree for example, in any other movie shed be the typical final girl whos the most likable person in her friend group thats also intelligent enough to survive until the end. Its different in this movie though. Tree has an attitude, shes selfish and honestly not even that smart, but as the movie continues, we actually get to see her grow into this better person and only then is she able to escape the loop and figure out who the killer really is. Thats just scratching the surface of the movie though. It also has a great balance of suspense and comedy. The suspense is especially good because it doesnt stop when Tree dies, were stuck in this loop with her so we know that her killer is always coming back, but as the movie continues both Tree and the audience start seeing the comedy of the situation and get a really fun Groundhog Day montage out of it, keeping the movie moving a wonderful pace. It really is just an all-around good time that Im always happy to do a rewatch of. Plasmabeam - Fun mashup of a slasher film and Groundhog Day. Loved Tres character arc, and her actress gave a standout performance. The sequel is even better IMO. rockus - A pleasant surprise. Though the time loop concept isnt quite as novel as it used to be this still injects some fresh energy into the slasher film and comes away just fun enough and self-aware to make a good impression on me, enough so that I even made an effort to check out its sequel. And compared to some other meta self-aware horror movies on this list I found this had a lot more charisma that carried it above just being aware of horror movie tropes. Though still not as endearing as my best boys Tucker & Dale. Jcgamer107 - Here I had actually seen the sequel, and needed to go back and watch the first one - was pleased to find that both are fun and light horror comedy, with the strong whodunit element of course. I like how they finally mention Groundhog Day, at the last possible moment haha. I agree that Jessica Rothe is a very funny actress. Johnbobb - Was this the movie that launched the weird time loop kick that media of the last few years has been on? Maybe Edge of Tomorrow started it? I mean I'm not really complaining, as most of it's been good and time loops are a great method of sci-fi/fantasy storytelling, but I worry we'll soon see lazy burnout stem from it, much like the zombie craze over a decade ago. Still, Happy Death Day did it right, playing into the comedy of the situation as much as the horror, while also acknowledging its influences and presenting a great starring scream queen. If only the sequel was as good. Tom Nook - It's Groundhog Day, without the heart or good characters or growth or development; but since they say it's Groundhog Day at the end, that makes it ok right? Well, Groundhog Day is such a good concept anyway, that I'm fine with other stories taking a shot at it with different circumstances. There is nothing amazing about this movie, but it's a fun, light, brain-off kind of movie. It didn't strive for excellency, but it didn't drop the ball either. It definitely could have done a lot more though and been more interesting. --- I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back. https://www.instagram.com/horror_obscurities/ ... Copied to Clipboard! |
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