Happy Death Day 2U

It’s a bold move to follow up a surprisingly clever and entertaining horror/comedy hit with a time travel/romantic comedy hybrid sequel, but Christopher Landon is a bold guy.

The writer/director takes that risk with Happy Death Day 2U, a zany second round with the Happy Death Day crew that derives much of its fun from the exasperation reformed sorority girl Tree (Jessica Rothe) experiences in reliving the same scenarios she conquered in the first film.

One of the slickest-looking productions the cheapskates at Blumhouse have funded outside of Jordan Peele, James Wan, and M. Night Shyamalan projects, the film gets in some early quality scares as the series’ baby-masked killer strikes again, then shifts to a more humorous, slapstick-heavy focus as our heroine decides to which timeline she’s best suited.

Best when rolling with its insane premise instead of stopping to explain its muddled multiverse logic, Part Two may not quite deliver the fun of its predecessor, but with a delightfully game Rothe at the forefront and its $9 million budget sure to be exceeded, the inevitable Happy D3ath Day is a mostly welcome next step.

Grade: B-minus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at AMC Classic, Biltmore Grande, and Carolina Cinemark

(Photo: Universal Pictures)