In the year 1981 the horror market was already pretty congested with an overload of dull and uninspired teen-slashers, but this "Happy Birthday To Me" was one of the first movies that at least attempted to bring a little more depth and content. This shouldn't come as a big surprise, since the man in the director's chair was J. Lee Thompson, acclaimed creator of great horror / thrillers such as "Eye of the Devil", "Cape Fear" and a nearly endless amount of Charles Bronson action vehicles. With J. Lee Thompson in charge, the tension is built up more atmospherically and the inexperienced young cast members are definitely kept on a short leash. Still, "Happy Birthday To Me" doesn't deserve too much praise as it remains an ordinary bloodbath in which teenagers you don't care about are killed off in the most absurd ways by the most unlikely culprit. Pivot character is the cherubic Virginia who just joined the elite clique of the school after recovering from a near-fatal car accident that killed her mother. Someone clearly isn't happy with Virginia's return since the teenagers go missing one by one. Or maybe Virginia herself is still a little sick in the brain?? The first hour is pretty good with an eerie title song, witty dialogs and a couple of very nasty killings (oh yes, the kebab-stabbing!). After that, however, the story becomes tedious and you start hoping that all the characters die a quick and painful death. The famous twist ending is indeed unpredictable, but at the same time very far-fetched and dumb. Considering "Happy Birthday To Me" is a low-budgeted early 80's slasher film, a little bit of naked flesh would have been welcome, too.
Review of Happy Birthday to Me
