Bloody Birthday (1981)

Three children are born at the height of an eclipse of the sun. Ten years later, they begin to murder the people around them - even their family members.

Director:

Ed Hunt

Writers:

Ed Hunt (screenplay), Barry Pearson (screenplay)

Stars:

Lori Lethin, Melinda Cordell, Julie Brown

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lori Lethin	...	Joyce Russel
Melinda Cordell	...	Mrs. Brody
Julie Brown	...	Beverly Brody
Joe Penny	...	Mr. Harding
Bert Kramer	...	Sherriff James Brody
K.C. Martel	...	Timmy Russel
Elizabeth Hoy	...	Debbie Brody
Billy Jayne	...	Curtis Taylor (as Billy Jacoby)
Andrew Freeman	...	Steven Seton (as Andy Freeman)
Susan Strasberg	...	Miss Viola Davis
José Ferrer	...	Doctor
Ben Marley	...	Duke Benson
Erica Hope	...	Annie Smith
Ellen Geer	...	Madge
Daniel Currie

Storyline

In 1970, three children are born at the height of a total eclipse. Due to the sun and moon blocking Saturn, which controls emotions, they have become heartless killers ten years later, and are able to escape detection because of their youthful and innocent facades. A boy and his teenage sister become endangered when they stumble onto the bloody truth.

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Plot Keywords:

patricide | evil child | slasher | female nudity | hand up dress | 

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Taglines:

The Nightmare Begins With The Kids Next Door

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to director Ed Hunt, the murder sequences were originally shot to be more graphic, but the stronger footage was edited out of the final cut.

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Goofs

As Curtis is about to shoot at Joyce, Timmy tells her to duck to the floor - as she does, she puts her headphones down on the table. In the following shots, the position of them on the table keeps changing.

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Quotes

Timmy Russel: You all right?
Joyce Russel: Yeah. Hard to believe that, uh, Beverly's not gonna come walking by...
Timmy Russel: What's it like to be dead?
Joyce Russel: You shouldn't think about things like that.

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Connections

References Jaws (1975)

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Soundtracks

Music
Music and Lyrics by John Q. Jones (BMI)
Published by Wallaroo Music © 1978

User Reviews

Interesting oddity

This is an interesting and fun little horror movie from the early 80's that probably had a brief run in the drive-ins I would imagine. I won't break down by ridiculous "categories" such as "suspense" or "gore" which I personally find quite hilarious, but in sum, if you like grind-house films of the era, you might enjoy this. It seesaws between very dumb and quite entertaining with a few genuine scares (such as the opening sequence) and a little splash of suspense. It has that cheap, raw 70's feel that try as they might, horror movie makers just can't correctly emulate, and scenes of such utter nonsense that would never slip by editors these days; which is a good thing. Performances are pretty good. For instance, the updated Omen suffered severely by the less than convincing devil-child performance. However, the kids here are totally fine. This is a kooky little movie and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Creeps

Filming Locations:

Thomas Jefferson Elementary School - 1540 Fifth Street, Glendale, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Judica Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1