Happy Death Day 2U, directed by Chris Landor, is guiding the path for a new genre of slasher comedy. I got to sit down with the stars, Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard, and hear more about the film. To get themselves into vibe of the film, Rothe and Broussard said they went on a New Orleans ghost tour to listen to various murder stories. This dark comedy is captivating and unique with incredible stunts and action scenes. It’s even more fun and silly than its predecessor, Happy Death Day, and picks up where the the first film ended. However, Happy Death Day 2U provides some recaps so watching the first film isn’t necessary.
Tree, played by Jessica Rothe, and Carter, played by Israel Broussard, are still enjoying the “honeymoon phase” of their romance. But when Carter’s roommate admits he has been reliving the day of his murder over and over, Tree and Carter quickly realize that he is stuck in the same time loop that Tree had been trapped in. The giant baby mascot murder has come back to haunt them once again. The two of them must figure out why this is happening, and how to stop it but must be careful not to get re-trapped in the time loop themselves.
It becomes comical how many times Tree dies, but as Jessica Rothe said, “[Tree] got to explore new levels of fear and exasperation and in the second film she doesn’t give a shit, so she could really have fun with it.” Tree got to take control of her own destiny and knew “with this baby ruling my life, I had to find an answer to this and I know I have a limited amount of time, but I’m gonna do it so I might as well have a little bit of fun while I‘m doing it.” Throughout this sequel, Tree is also forced to dig deeper and confront the trauma she struggled overcoming in the first film, which adds a layer of emotional complexity. Jessica Rothe said she “loved the huge transformation Tree went through since the first film. She went from this self-centered bitchy sorority girl to just a total badass.” (She even got a wardrobe upgrade too!) Rothe had a blast filming this movie in New Orleans and it definitely shows in her scenes.
Happy Death Day 2U is unique because it meshes multiple genres, which seems to make a lot of sense for this film. The horror moments help the comedy jokes land better and the sci-fi with a twist fits the city of New Orleans perfectly. When asked about New Orleans, Jessica Rothe said, “Southern Hospitality is real… I love the city and the food, but I love beignets more than anything, so I just wanted to eat as many [beignets] as possible.” Israel Broussard agreed and said that visiting New Orleans feels like an escape from real life. He added that another perk for him is getting to eat Raising Canes every day. Rothe and Broussard spent free time playing with Broussard’s puppy, writing tons of raps on set, and enjoying Frenchmen Street, where they were able to listen to local jazz and brass music.
This movie is one you won’t want to miss out on, so go see it in theaters now!
ALL PHOTOS: IMDB
