Nearly two years ago a little slasher film was released called Happy Death Day. The slasher genre doesn’t usually get big-screen treatment these days, unless it’s based on a successful franchise from 30 or 40 years ago. But after decades of establishing tropes, twisting tropes, parodying tropes, and running everything into the ground, Happy Death Day had finally come up with a new hook for the genre: mixing in Groundhog Day mechanics.
College student Tree (yep, that’s her name) wakes up on her birthday to get hunted down and murdered by an hooded figure in a baby mask. She then wakes up on the same morning, and must relive her birthday over and over until she can figure out a way to stop the killer. As the cycle keeps repeating, Tree (who starts the film as a selfish jerk) learns to be a better person.
The movie did better than anyone expected, especially for an oldschool slasher in the Late Tens. You know what that means….it isn’t over. Just when Tree thought she was out, they PULL her back in!
In Happy Death Day 2U, Tree discovers she caught the killer, but she didn’t stop the loop…and now it’s spreading. When she discovers her roommate is now stuck in the same day, her efforts to interfere pull her in. Now, as the new killer chooses its victims, each one gets pulled into the loop.
Happy Death Day 2U looks like a lot of fun, and a great way to continue the story. It all loops back around February 14, 2019.
Help Support PopGeeks
PopGeeks runs on reader support. We are not backed by corporate media, driven by algorithms, or overloaded with invasive ads. We are an independently run site created by fans, for fans, and we cover what we love: movies, TV, video games, comics, and tabletop RPGs.
Support PopGeeks for just $1/month and help keep our content free and ad-light. Your support covers hosting, pays our writers, and helps sustain independent coverage of movies, games, TV, and geek culture. Every dollar makes a difference.
This is a voluntary support payment. No physical goods or exclusive digital content are provided. PopGeeks content remains freely accessible to all. Sales tax does not apply.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping PopGeeks stay fan-run, freely accessible, and fully independent.
