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:

Mum won't like it!! But the kids will!!

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Genres:

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

The house depicted in the films colorful German poster is the same house from the mini-series Salem's Lot (1979).

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Goofs

When the cops put the two boys in the back seat of the car to presumably take them to a psychiatric institution. As the shot draws closer in on the boy in the back seat it's clear the windows of the car are down. Not a good idea when transporting prisoners.

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Quotes

Steven Seton: [locked in a trunk] Let me out of here!
Joyce Russel: Yeah, I'll let you out just as soon as the cops get here.

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Connections

References Mighty Mouse Meets Jekyll and Hyde Cat (1944)

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Soundtracks

My Darlin' Don't You Cry
Music and Lyrics by John Q. Jones (BMI)
Published by Wallaroo Music © 1978

User Reviews

It's gonna be a killer birthday party!!

'Bloody Birthday' is one of those movies that surprisingly ages well enough to remain watchable nowadays. Not a masterpiece for sure, but still entertaining and surprisingly enough, it doesn't really have a lot of unintentionally funny scenes. I know it's a shocker if we keep in mind that this is a low budget flick from the early 80s about a group of evil children who kill people. But trust me, the movie manages to remain respectable and watchable for the most part.

The story revolves around three children who are born during a a total eclipse. According to astrology, during eclipses, the sun and the moon block Saturn, which controls emotions. As a consequence, the three children who are born that day, eventually become uncaring and evil. Since they don't experience any feelings of remorse whatsoever, these 10-year-old kids gang up against basically everyone who stands in their way, including their own parents and siblings... and kill them! The body count increases day after day and the police authorities believe that there's a psychopath lurking around the place. In the meantime, Debbie, Curtis and Steven, don't hesitate to keep butchering people.

I was expecting some hilariously bad scenes, but the movie proved me wrong. True, it's not exactly what most people would consider a 'serious' horror movie, but if I have to be fair, I'd say that the story is decently executed. One of the most important reasons why one would normally expect laughable situations (like I did), it's because in these kind of movies in which the main villains are children, the young actors tend to be plain awful and they make the whole thing laughable. Let's face it: kids tend to be horrible actors, which is understandable and we can't blame them for that. But to my surprise, the three young actors who played the merciless killers in this film, looked very disturbing and not at all funny. The rest of the actors are also good and if you're a George Clooney fan, you can see his uncle playing a doctor in this movie. Yeah, I know right?... who cares?. Also, Julie Brown, the great actress, singer, comedienne and gay icon, gives a solid performance as the naughty older sister and in case anyone is interested in nudity: she also strips in one of the scenes and she looks great naked. Too bad she didn't have more time on the screen though! Julie is 'absolutely fabulous':P

So basically, this movie is fine if you're in the mood for some modest horror from the 80s. My only objection regarding 'Bloody Birthday' would be the way to justify the children's motives. This is perhaps one of the lowest points of the film. Let's see: if children who were born during an eclipse end up being heartless killers, then how come these three were the only ones who actually murdered people? I'm sure there were other children who had been born the same day... and during other days of total eclipse too, oh well!. Overall, no big deal, it's just a simple observation, that's all. I've seen worse, trust me. Take 'The Children' (1980) for example, in which the precocious killer get their evilness after being turned into zombies by toxic cloud. No, believe me, 'Bloody Birthday' is far more decent and if you enjoy simple slashers, you're going to enjoy this one very much.