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 | father daughter relationship | female nudity | attempted child murder | sociopath | 

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Taglines:

Ils fetent leurs 10 ans...le cauchemar commence!... (French poster)

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to the lack of success of this film, never came to shoot its continuation.

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Goofs

When Steven and Curtis are strangling Timmy with the hose and Debbie watches; Debbie's hair goes from hanging in front of her shoulders, to then being behind her shoulders, then back in front again, between shots.

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Quotes

Beverly Brody: Debbie, clippings of murders? What are you, a little ghoulie?

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Connections

References Mighty Mouse Meets Jekyll and Hyde Cat (1944)

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Soundtracks

Woman
Music and Lyrics by John Q. Jones (BMI)
Published by Wallaroo Music © 1975

User Reviews

Kids do the darndest things!

I can't believe I rarely ever see this title mentioned by all you eighties horror freaks and I definitely won't be joining all my fellow reviewers here in saying that 'Bloody Birthday' is awful viewing. On the contrary, I enjoyed it very much and I was pleasantly surprised by the ingeniousness and surprise twists it offers. Don't just refer to this film as being 'another 80's slasher' because the victims here are rather unlikely and so are the killers. We're introduced to three cherubic-looking youngsters who were all born during a solar eclipse. At the moment they were delivered, planet Saturn was blocked by both the sun and the moon and, due to this, the kids are emotionless and seemly without conscience. This really starts to show around their tenth birthday as they go on a merciless killing spree.

Granted, this stuff is incredibility far-fetched and even slightly offensive but, seriously, who cares? Unlike many other horror films from this period, it at least attempts to bring something original and imaginative. For once, the kids' acting is good and the entire film has a creepy atmosphere and grizzly music. The murders sequences are grim and tense, and it's always eerie to see them getting committed by angel-faced kids. I don't know who hired the 3 kids but they did a good job. Especially the girl and the kid with glasses are highly memorable. The bleak images of the heartless trio remind you of classic highlights, such as 'Village of the Damned', 'The Bad Seed' and 'Children of the Damned'. This film is nowhere near as memorable as these milestones but great fun and not one horror lover will regret watching this.

Bloody Birthday was written and directed by Ed Hunt. Not particularly the greatest genius in cinema, but a pleasantly deranged fella who also brought us immensely entertaining cheesefests like 'The Brain' and 'Starship Invasions'. If all this isn't enough to convince you yet, Bloody Birthday has a lot of nudity. And not just any nudity, but a topless dance-act by MTV-VJ Julie Brown. Oh, and keep your eyes open for a completely redundant cameo by Joe Penny, later the star of TV-series 'Jake and the Fatman'. Check it out!!