Happy Death Day

"*Today is the first day for the rest of your life.*"
—Carter Davis's sticker**[src]**

***Happy Death Day*** is a 2017 American black comedy slasher film directed by Christopher Landon, written by Scott Lobdell and starring Jessica Rothe as Tree Gelbman, with Israel Broussard as Carter Davis, and Ruby Modine as Lori Spengler. Filled with black comedy elements, the movie was initially announced under the title *Half to Death*, but was eventually retitled to *Happy Death Day*. It was released on October 13, 2017.

The sequel, *Happy Death Day 2U* , was released on February 13, 2019. A spin-off film, *Freaky*, was released on November 13, 2020.

## Plot

Theresa "Tree" Gelbman woke up on her birthday on Monday, September 18 in the dorm room of classmate Carter Davis after a drunken binge the previous evening. Tree went through the day being self-centered, dismissive and condescending to her classmates and previous hook-ups, ignoring her father's invite to a restaurant, throwing away a birthday cupcake given to her by her roommate Lori Spengler, and having an affair with Dr. Gregory Butler, her professor. That night, while going to a party, Tree was lured into a tunnel where she was murdered by a hooded figure wearing a mask of the campus mascot.

Tree woke up the next morning back in Carter's bed with the previous day's events repeating. Unnerved, she relived the day and avoided the tunnel, instead of heading to a fraternity house for a surprise party. However, while hooking up with her classmate Nick Sims, the masked killer murdered him before killing Tree once more. Tree realized she was in a time loop and tried to avoid her death by barricading herself in her room. However, she was murdered again when the killer hid in her bathroom.

During the next loop, she relayed her story to Carter, who suggested that she take advantage of the loop in order to figure out who her killer is. She spent the next loops trailing several suspected classmates, all of which ended in her death as she was stalking the current suspect.

On the next loop after being bludgeoned by a baseball bat from her previous death, Tree passed out shortly after waking up. She awakened in the hospital where she learned she has retained damage from her other murders. Tree escaped the hospital room only to be chased by her killer until she managed to flee in Butler's car. While driving, she is pulled over by a police officer and volunteers to be arrested in order to be spared. However, the killer ran down the officer and set her car on fire, burning Tree to death and sending her through another loop.

Waking up in Carter's bed again, Tree convinced Carter of her predicament by showing that she held foreknowledge of the day's events. Tree admitted to Carter she does not like who she's become; she had also grown distant from her father ever since her mother passed away three years ago and that they had shared the same birthday. Tree caught a local news report on John Tombs, a serial killer who is being held in the hospital on her campus. Concluding that Tombs is her killer, Tree rushes to the hospital to warn of his escape. Tombs broke free and nearly killed Tree, but Carter followed and rescued her. Unfortunately, Tombs snapped Carter's neck before chasing Tree to a nearby bell tower where she managed to subdue him with a crowbar. Realizing that Carter will remain dead if she does not restart the loop, Tree hung herself from the tower.

During the next loop, Tree went around righting the various wrongs she has caused, ending her affair with Dr. Butler, finally meeting with her dad to resolve her inner grief, and resolving to be a kinder person. That night, she prepared to stop Tombs. He managed to get the upper hand on her until Tree utilized a campus-wide blackout that occurred during her loops to disarm him and shoot him to death. Relieved to finally be free, she celebrated her birthday in Carter's room and ate the cupcake given to her by Lori.

However, the next morning Tree woke up again on her birthday. Confused and distraught over the fact that killing Tombs did not stop the time loops, Tree returned to her room in order to run away, where Lori offered the cupcake again. Tree realized that she had died in her sleep, and also noted that this was the only time she had ever eaten the cupcake. Tree realized Lori is the true killer; Lori had poisoned the cupcake, but when Tree did not eat it, she utilized her job in the hospital to frame Tombs for Tree's murder. Lori confessed she was angry that Dr. Butler had shown interest in Tree over her before the two fight. Tree managed to stuff the cupcake into Lori's mouth before kicking her out of a window, sending her falling to her death.

Tree and Carter mused over the day's events back in the restaurant, and he offered her his room for the night, also commenting on her situation was a lot like the film *Groundhog Day*. Tree woke up the next day believing to be in another loop, but it turned out to be a prank by Carter and the two shared a kiss.

### Alternate ending

In an alternate ending of the film, Tree was taken to the hospital after her encounter with Lori. The doctor instructed her to stay away from pain medication for at least a day due to the extent of her injuries. After he left, a nurse came in and told Tree she is giving Tree something for the pain and Tree informed the nurse of the doctor's orders. The nurse revealed herself to be Stephanie Butler, who murdered Tree in revenge for the affair between Tree and Gregory.

## Cast

* Israel Broussard as Carter Davis
* Ruby Modine as Lori Spengler
* Charles Aitken as Gregory Butler
* Laura Clifton as Stephanie Butler
* Jason Bayle as David Gelbman
* Rachel Matthews as Danielle Bouseman
* Ramsey Anderson as Keith Lumbly
* Phi Vu as Ryan Phan
* Blaine Kern III as Nick Sims
* Jimmy Gonzales as Officer Conroe
* Billy Slaughter as Dr. Winter
* Donna Duplantier as Nurse Deena
* GiGi Erneta as Reporter Jennifer Trite
* Dane Rhodes as Officer Santora
* Caleb Spillyards as Tim Bauer
* Missy Yager as Julie Gelbman
* Tran Tran as Emily

## Appearances

### Locations

* Bayfield University
	+ Bayfield University Hospital
	+ Chi Sigma Kappa fraternity house
	+ Harmon Hall
	+ Kappa Pi Lambda sorority house
	+ Williams Hall
		- Dorm room 213

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Happy Death Day (2017)". *Box Office Mojo*. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
2. ↑ Miska, Brad (April 20, 2017). "Get Scared ‘*Half to Death*’ This October". *Bloody Disgusting*. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
3. ↑ Busch, Anita (June 12, 2017). Universal, Blumhouse Retitle Film ‘*Half to Death*’ To ‘*Happy Death Day*’. *Deadline Hollywood*. Penske Business Media, LLC. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.