The horror genre is in a bit of a renaissance, with the last few years bringing new and exciting concepts to the theaters, ending up both critical and financial successes. Many of these latest hits come from Blumhouse, including movies like Get Out, Halloween, and Happy Death Day. The latter was irreverent and a sleeper hit, with a sequel quickly ordered by the horror studio, titled Happy Death Day 2U. Now check out its explosive new trailer, and get ready to jump back into the day from hell.
It looks like Happy Death Day 2U will continue pushing the boundaries of slasher genre, while also including plenty of its signature wit and comedy. And this time, it doesn't look like Tree is the only victim of the film's signature Groundhog Day-esque loop of death.
The above trailer starts out with oodles of exposition, for those who missed Happy Death Day or perhaps nodded off during a midnight showing. Tree (Jessica Rothe) relived the day of death over and over again, dying 11 times before finally figuring out who the killer was, and kicking her out of her life... literally. Now it seems that she's been living her happy ever after, until baby masks start popping back up, and she's promptly murdered once again.
Unfortunately, this resets the entire franchise, with Tree now once again waking up on the day of her death, having solved and fixed nothing. She must once again bring Carter and Samar up to speed, and die a handful of times while trying to sort it out. It looks like Samar is also a victim of the loop, which should complicated and expand the story quite a bit.
The trailer also recapped that Tree's roommate Lori was the killer, so her first instinct is likely to go find her and kick her out of a window again. But when Lori ends up murdered in the new loop, it's clear that there's a new killer around. This will allow for the same tropes to be used, while Happy Death Day 2U also goes new places with the burgeoning franchise.
Happy Death Day 2U will also give more explanations than the first movie did, likely giving an explanation of why Tree is involved in the time loop in the first place. This has the potential to turn the franchise into a modern classic, providing a new annual slasher film to enjoy. And with high concepts like time travel and self-awareness at play, it could be a horror property unlike anything we've seen before.
Happy Death Day 2U is directed by Christopher B. Landon, who also helmed the original film. He's got a long history with Blumhouse, having worked extensively on the Paranormal Activity franchise. Jason Blum is once again producing, further cementing the studio as a legendary house of horror.
Happy Death Day 2U will arrive in theaters on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
