Happy Death Day 2U

When I first saw the trailer for "Happy Death Day 2U," I said to myself: No way am I going to see a sequel to a film that should've been a one-off movie. "Happy Death Day" was the surprise horror hit of 2017, combining horror and wit that hasn't been seen since "Scream" in 1996. It also had a story and a heart, a rarity in the horror world.

"Happy Death Day" had a nice, tidy ending. But it amassed money at the box office - a lot of money. It made so much money that here we are now, seeing a Blu-ray release of its follow-up. I'm happy to announce that "Happy Death Day 2U" isn't the train wreck I thought it'd be. Rather, the film is a clever and inventive sequel, even if it's completely unnecessary.

"Happy Death Day 2U" ups the humor, but the slashing from part 1 takes a backseat. The trailer emphasized the funny bits, so I wasn't thrown off after viewing this sequel. There's a masked killer on the loose again in "2U," and Tree (Jessica Rothe) becomes stuck in her death loop once again.

How she gets there mimics "Back to the Future 2" and other sequels that erase what came before it, and then it comes up with a fresh idea for what actually happened. A rumored third film in this franchise has been talked about so I wouldn't take what happens in "Happy Death Day 2U" all that seriously.

Also not to be taken too serious are the special features on Universal's Blu-ray. Besides a throwaway gag reel and only one deleted scene, there are three brief promo shorts for the film. I have a strong suspicion that we haven't seen the last of the "Happy Death Day 2U" special features and that fans will be shelling out money again on another Blu-ray release in the future.

"Happy Death Day 2U"
Blu-ray
$29.99
www.universal.com