Happy Death Day 2U is one of the most ingeniously clever sequels to a horror film I’ve seen in a very long time. Oddly enough, one of its rather ballsy moves is to stray a bit aways from the slasher element of the first. Instead, it plays out closer to some 80s teen shenanigans movie, compete with nerdy supporting characters, gleefully implausible sci-fi wackiness, a crusty, bitter, old dean played by Steve Zissis, and a playful montage. It even drops a Back To The Future 2 reference, which is ultimately lost on our returning protagonist, Tree (Jessica Rothe). It brings to mind Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, which also took a significantly more comedic approach than people would’ve expected.
Christopher Landon returns as the director, while also serving as the writer this time around. He does a good job at keeping a light and amusing tone while also never forgetting about the very real stakes for Tree. The big conflict here is that Tree finds herself in a time loop again, but this time, in another dimension, forcing her to use the help of Carter (Israel Broussard), Ryan (Phi Vu), Samar (Suraj Sharma), and Dre (Sarah Yarkin) to figure out a way back to her dimension.
There are some hurdles that might be difficult to cross for some. Providing an answer as to why the time loop was even a thing is perhaps too much unnecessary explanation. The various technical jargon that is thrown around does go against the simplicity of the first. However, the filmmakers take these potential flaws, and work them to their favor, which the comedic tone makes very palatable.
Like any great alternate timeline story, this one takes advantage in gleefully exploiting our expectations for these characters and their relationships, such as Carter being with hyper mean girl, Danielle (Rachel Matthews). But what it also does smartly is to take the chance to also dig deeper into the areas that allow us to explore Tree even deeper as a character. There’s a strong emotional throughline here about learning to move from the past, and about finding agency in situations that are challenging on a deeply personal level. I found myself moved to tears at a few points, which I never would’ve expected from one of these films.
Despite the major changes, the film keeps a number elements such as the mystery killer, who does not share the same identity as the last one, it still has moments of suspense, darkly comedic suicide scenes, and big twists and reveals. However, the “whodunit” aspect is very much downplayed, and is here mostly out of obligation. I suppose that can be considered a problem, but it hardly registers as one in the moment. The interests of the film lies squarely on Tree’s personal journey, and the college student hijinks that ensue with their big quantum reactor thing.
At the center of all this is a sensational performance from Jessica Rothe. Between the anger at her situation, the confusion with the techno-babble, the humor, the romance between her and Carter, and the big emotional payoff, Rothe effortlessly bounces between all these different modes. She brings a sense of honesty and control to everything she does here, easily making you want to root for her to figure things out. It’s a delicate balance, but she pulls it off with so much charisma in each moment she’s on screen.
I remember enjoying Happy Death Day quite a bit, but it hasn’t really stuck with me over the last couple years. I enjoy its sharp and tight simplicity, but I found myself really loving Happy Death Day 2U far more. It certainly isn’t as economic as the first, but It doubles down on everything that works about the first film, and takes them into bold and weird new directions. It’s incredibly funny, it has a lot of energy, a great use of tension building, and a surprising amount of heart. And for God’s sake, somebody get a start on Rothe’s FYC campaign!