In the movie Happy Death Day, Tree is murdered on her birthday.  Instead of dying, she wakes up and has to relive the day all over again.  Tree relives the same day (and gets murdered) seventeen times. (We only see eleven of the murders because a montage is used to compress time.  We only get bits and pieces of those days.)

Here is a summary of all seventeen days and eleven murders (okay, technically one’s a suicide):

 

Tree wakes up hungover in Carter’s dorm room.  

 

During the walk of shame back to her sorority house, Tree is confronted by creepy stalker Tim.

 

When Tree gets to her room, she changes clothes and grabs her book for the class she’s running late for.  Her roommate Lori gives her a cupcake with a birthday candle in it.  Tree blows out the candle and trashes the cupcake.  “Too many carbs.”  

 

After class, Tree goes to the hospital to see the doctor she’s having an affair with.  She runs into Lori who is working a double shift as a nurse and who tries to warn her about the consequences of her actions. 

 

At the sorority meeting at lunch, Danielle and Tree embarass Becky for bringing a huge tray of food.  Carter accidentally bumps into Becky, sloshing chocolate milk all over Tree.  He further embarrasses Tree by giving her back her bracelet, confirming he’s the boy she “slept with” last night.  

 

Tree and Gregory (the sexy doctor) are almost caught when his wife makes a surprise visit to his office. 

 

That night, Tree watches TV and paints her toes while Danielle quizzes here on when she’s coming to the party.  

 

On her way to the party, Tree gets distracted by a birthday music box.  It’s a trap set by a killer wearing the school mascot mask (a creepy baby) who chases her and stabs her. 

 

Tree wakes up and is confused to be in Carter’s room again.  She does the walk of shame again.  When Tim pops out this time, she asks him what day it is.  

 

Tree leaves Lori’s cupcake on the dresser this time, the breeze from the closing door blowing the candle out. 

 

At lunch, Tree is too lost in thought to pile on Becky.  She is distracted by the spooky mascot masks for sale nearby.  Catching on that everything is repeating, Tree tries to warn Becky to look out but it’s too late.  Tree ends up covered in chocolate milk again.  This time, Carter forgets he has the bracelet and Tree has to prompt him to give it to her. 

 

At the hospital, Tree locks the door to Gregory’s office.  She tries to tell him what’s happening to her.  He starts kissing her instead.  And his wife interrupts on cue.  “Thank God you locked the door,” Gregory says.

 

That night, Tree avoids the music box and takes another path.  When she gets to the frat house, the party is a surprise party for her.  She goes to Nick’s room where he plays loud music in a dumb frat boy attempt at seduction.  While Tree’s distracted on her phone, the killer kills Nick behind her.  After a struggle with the killer, Tree is stabbed with a bong shard.  

 

Tree wakes up screaming.  She does a run of shame.  She confesses to Lori she thinks she’s going crazy.  She has already lived through this day twice.  And someone is going to kill her.  Lori convinces her to skip class and relax.  

 

That night, Tree barricades the windows and the door to her room.  Danielle’s conversation with her is from the other side of the door this time instead of face to face.  

 

Tree looks for the TV remote and finds a creepy birthday card instead.  When she looks up the TV is off.  She turns it back on.  It turns off again.  The killer sneaks up on her and stabs her.  

 

Tree wakes up screaming again.  She runs out the door.  The world is a confusing blur.  Carter comes out to give her the things she left behind, she clings to him for dear life.  

 

Tree tells Carter what’s happening.  He tells her to make a list of suspects and use her unlimited number of lives to narrow them down.  

 

This leads to a montage.

 

Tree stalks Tim for a change.  She stands outside his window and sees him watching gay porn.  Then she gets stabbed by the killer.

 

Tree wakes up and throws her phone in the trash can.  

 

Tree experiments with some pink highlights.  

 

Tree spies on Gregory’s wife from a fountain with a pair of night vision goggles.  

The killer drowns Tree in the fountain.   

 

Tree wakes up and spits out water.  

 

Tree finds the incriminating birthday card from day 3 in Danielle’s things when a passerby knocks her books out of her hands.  Tree grabs Danielle’s hair and starts a catfight.  The two girls end up in the street and a bus runs them over Final Destination style.   

 

Tree wakes up screaming.  

  

Tree does the walk of shame shameless and naked.  

 

Tree accidentally hits Becky with a bat instead of the killer.  The killer hits Tree with the bat when she leans down to check on Becky.

 

Tree wakes up in a lot of pain and has trouble standing.  She passes out before she can get out the door this time.  

 

At the hospital, Gregory tells her she should be dead from the amount of injury she’s sustained.  

 

Tree steals Gregory’s car keys, outruns the killer in the garage, and drives away.  Until she’s stopped by the police for speeding.  Thinking she’ll be safe in jail, she tells the cop she’s drunk and high so he’ll lock her up.  When she’s cuffed and trapped in the back of the cruiser, another car speeds past, killing the policeman.  Guess who’s driving?  The cop car is leaking gasoline.  The killer drops a single candle to set off an explosion.  

 

Tree takes an entire bottle of Tylenol. 

 

Carter follows her on the walk of shame and she does the Groundhog Day thing where she calls everything right before it happens.  

 

A news story about a murderer named Tombs comes on the TV while Carter and Tree are at a restaurant.  He’s at the same hospital where Gregory works.  

 

Tree rushes to the hospital.  Tombs has already killed the security guard and has a gun.  Tombs ends up cornering Tree and has her at point blank range.  Until Carter tackles him.  Tombs breaks Carter’s neck then chases Tree.  She has a chance to kill him, but then Carter will be dead forever.  So she hangs herself and resets the day one last time.  

 

Redemption Day

Tree greets Carter with a big hug. 

She borrows his pillow to cushion the fall of the frat boy who passes out from hazing every morning. 

She finally signs the petition to stop global warming.  

She tells Tim it’s okay to be gay. 

She waves back to the girl in front of the sorority house.  

She apologizes to Lori for not being a good roommate. 

She dumps Gregory. 

She brings a huge tray of food to lunch too.  And pours chocolate milk on Danielle for being a bully.  

She kisses Carter and asks him out.  

She has lunch with her father who she has stood up for the entire movie. 

 

That night at the hospital, Tree holds a knife to the throat of the guard outside Tomb’s room in order to take his gun.  

 

“This is a really bad idea,” he tells her.

 

” So is dying for the sixteenth time.”

 

Tree shoots Tombs.  

 

Then she finally eats Lori’s cupcake with Carter.  

 

Tree is distraught to find herself stuck in the same day again. 

 

Tree starts packing her things.  She’s going as far away as possible.  When Lori offers her the cupcake, Tree realizes it’s poisoned.  She died in her sleep.  Lori had access to Tombs and he was the perfect scapegoat.  Lori reveals she’s been killing Tree out of jealousy over Gregory.  

 

Tree forces the cupcake in Lori’s mouth and pushes her out the window. 

 

Carter fakes Tree out and makes her think it’s the same day again.  

 

It is Tuesday the 19th.  She made it!

 

Happy Death Day is one of my favorite recent horror films.  It’s a movie that has a lot of fun with its concept. And it rewards repeat viewings.  The scenes with Lori are a lot of fun when you know what’s going on beneath the surface.  Happy Death Day 2 U will be wicked fun with the whole cast vulnerable this time, not just Tree.  Remember to check this blog for a movie review when it comes out. And use the RunPee app to get Peetimes! 

Happy Death Day – All the Clues to the Killer (SPOILERS)

Movie Review – Happy Death Day – Very Fun, Almost Cute Horror Film