Happy Death Day
Universal Pictures | Release Date: October 13, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
12
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyClark CollisOct 14, 2017
Happy Death Day is directed with vim, vigor, and heart by Christopher Landon (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse), and boasts a winning central performance from Rothe. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesBrent McKnightOct 11, 2017
Hilarious, raucous and smarter than it’s likely to get credit for, Happy Death Day is an absolute blast for both horror junkies and those just looking for a fun jolt on Friday the 13th. Read full review
75
The VergeKaitlyn TiffanyOct 11, 2017
What’s lurking beneath the surface of this ruthlessly violent horror movie is a glimmer of gold. Happy Death Day is fun enough to be worth watching. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinOct 13, 2017
It’s a fun little movie, more of a giddy rom-com than a splatter-y slasher. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRick BentleyOct 12, 2017
If you’re looking to enjoy some scares while trying to figure out a clever mystery, don’t miss Happy Death Day. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 12, 2017
Once you get past the premise — and granted, that takes some doing — Happy Death Day turns out to be goofy good fun. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisOct 12, 2017
Niftily paced and tight as a chokehold, the script (by the comic-book writer Scott Lobdell) delivers just enough variation to hold our interest. Read full review
70
Screen DailySarah WardOct 11, 2017
Thankfully never taking itself too seriously, the latest Jason Blum-produced comedy-thriller is happy to carve out its spot as the horror-themed, millennial-focused Groundhog Day, and to have fun doing so. A dynamic lead performance and a willingness to keep things short and snappy also ensure viewers won’t mind venturing into rehash territory. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanOct 11, 2017
Happy Death Day is “Groundhog Day” dipped in blood, and if the movie isn’t all that clever, it’s just clever enough to get by. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleDanielle WhiteOct 11, 2017
The reveal is a bit predictable, but a couple of fake-outs keep things interesting along the way. Read full review
65
TheWrapTodd GilchristOct 11, 2017
Landon, who wrote four of the “Paranormal Activity” films, knows a lot about reverse engineering scary scenarios from mundane situations, but as with later installments of that series, he overcomplicates the logistics and mythology of the premise, aiming for something more raucous (and fun) in tone but lacking the intensity — or inevitability — to make its repetition feel truly chilling. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerOct 12, 2017
There's a spunky charm to the Scream-meets-Groundhog Day thing, and the film is well-built. The problem is its chipper message. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonOct 11, 2017
Happy Death Day twists the inherent repetitiveness of slashers to its advantage by exaggerating it to an impossible degree. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyOct 20, 2017
Director Christopher Landon, a veteran of the Paranormal Activity series, keeps the energy levels so peppy and the twists coming so unflaggingly, you barely have time to lodge any complaints. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Oct 11, 2017
It’s a reasonably clever spin, but not much more than that; once the novelty of the genre swap wears off, you’re just watching another inferior variation. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 14, 2017
All that matters is A) Is it scary? and B) Is it funny? Those answers are “A little” and “More or less.” Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 14, 2017
By turns frustrating and tedious, this can sink even the most intriguing story. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoOct 12, 2017
Happy Death Day is a generic PG-13 horror purgatory that's lived on repeat until even weaker motivations take us farther out of any semblance of storytelling thrills. Read full review
50
Washington PostPat PaduaOct 12, 2017
This is one movie that no one needs to relive. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoOct 12, 2017
Worst of all, it wastes the meta-idea that a lot of horror films are basically like “Groundhog Day” to an extent, as we watch relatively indistinguishable counselors at Camp Crystal Lake, for example, get killed again and again. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsAriel ScottiOct 11, 2017
It’s a thriller’s job to make you jump out of your skin and Happy Death Day gets it done — on occasion. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweOct 11, 2017
Although concentrating on delivering easily digestible situations and scene progressions, Landon does demonstrate some enticing visual flair that gets rather diminished by the repetitiveness of the plot. Read full review
50
IndieWireKate ErblandOct 11, 2017
When Landon moves away from the darker parts of the film, opting to play up the campier elements of a mostly silly story, Happy Death Day is the kind of dizzy fun as slasher horror can possibly be. Too bad then that all that goodwill has to reset every night, pushing everything back to square one just as it was getting good, murderously so. Read full review
42
ConsequenceRandall ColburnOct 11, 2017
Happy Death Day is a lot of fun when it allows itself to have fun. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeOct 11, 2017
It’s Groundhog Day meets Scream, although lacking the first film’s novelty and the latter’s postmodern smarts. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoOct 12, 2017
Despite its sometimes bloody content, the mood of Happy Death Day is remarkably sappy, aimed at the broadest possible audience for a film of its genre. Think of it as “slasher lite” and an acceptable date movie for unadventurous types, and you have the gist of it. Read full review
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