Happy Death Day and Freaky exist in the same universe, according to director Christopher Landon. Freaky is Landon’s latest film, a body-swapping romp that sees a shy teenager named Millie (Kathryn Newton) trade lives with a local serial killer (played by Vince Vaughn). Gory and comedic in equal measure, the Blumhouse Productions feature has earned positive reviews and won the box office in its first week with $3.7 million.
Freaky has also earned comparisons to Happy Death Day, another Blumhouse horror helmed by Landon which performed well with fans and critics alike. Landon has offered hints about what shape Happy Death Day 3 could take, revealing that it would break from its previously established structure. Another big change might be that Tree (Jessica Rothe) will have some company the next time she has to endure a grueling time loop.
During a recent interview with Collider, the director was asked if Freaky and Happy Death Day exist in the same universe. Far from responding coyly or offering a vague response, Landon seems thrilled with the possibility of the two movies coming together and even offers an outline of how he imagines his protagonists would interact. You can read Landon’s comments below.
“Oh yeah! Totally! A hundred percent. I think that they exist in the same spiritual universe, so to speak. I think I could easily see Tree and Millie getting together and being like, ‘Well, you won’t believe what happened to me!’ Because I think that tonally they’re connected, I think thematically they’re connected in a weird way. And yeah, I think it’s an easy, easy buy for sure.”
Landon’s enthusiasm about the connectivity is evident and, when speaking about the possibility of a crossover which would feature both Newton and Rothe, he doesn’t rule it out. While the chances for a Happy Death Day 3 remain unclear, the prospect of uniting two popular horror flicks is certainly an interesting hook. It would be easy to imagine a scenario where Tree finds herself swapping bodies with another character. Or, alternatively, a situation where Millie is stuck repeating the same hellish day and has to lean on the expertise of the Happy Death Day stalwarts to find her way out of the predicament. Landon has shown that he’s unafraid to experiment with familiar formulas. Bringing together two different horror flicks would be something of a gamble, particularly for the risk averse Blumhouse Productions, but it could prove to be a surprise success.
Still, even if a full-fledged crossover never materializes, or only amounts to a few Easter eggs, Landon is certainly correct that his most recent features share a similar makeup. The director has developed a name for himself as someone who is able to craft a horror film that is both funny and deeply heartfelt. In Freaky and the Happy Death Day series, the biggest draw is often the emotional center that allows the performers to stand out. It’s that emotional center which has helped lead to speculation about what would happen if Tree and Millie shared the big screen.
