Sorry, this movie sucks

Memorable, crazy movie

Just what I expected

Good concept, poorly executed.

Neither good nor bad. Amazing acting, but completely unrealistic ending.

Veteran director J. Lee Thompson was unusually fond of stepping into the gutter once in a while, so this gory slasher-flick wasn't just a case of an esteemed filmmaker cashing a paycheck. Thompson gets good work from top-billed Melissa Sue Anderson as a traumatized teen who may or may not be responsible for the elaborate slayings of several of her classmates at an elite academy--but the picture goes on and on for a seat-numbing 110 minutes, and one good performance isn't enough to carry the load. The screenplay by John Saxton, Peter Jobin and Timothy Bond, from Saxton's original story, appears to have been worked over many times by too many writers, and the whole bloody mess collapses under the weight of throat slashings, false scares, brain surgery and a double-twist ending that makes no sense. Glenn Ford's obtuse role as Anderson's doctor is also a puzzler--but no matter, he's trashed right along with most of the cast. Canadian-made thriller has very few thrills, however cinematographer Miklos Lente gives the final scenes an eerie sheen and Thompson stages a suspenseful game of chicken near the beginning. *1/2 from ****

"Happy Birthday to Me" has caught my interest since I saw it being mentioned in 1996's "Scream", and albeit it happened in almost a year ago, I gave it a chance only yesterday. In my opinion, this movie starts off with a promising story, even for those who are used with this kind of horror. There are many scenes that reminded me of 1981's "My Bloody Valentine", and that made me believe that horror movies weren't that creative back that decade-- as if they were creative nowadays. Directing and acting aren't anything better than average, so it feels hard to be scared in the tense moments that filmmakers tried to create. If anything, it happens only due to the exaggeratedly loud soundtrack screaming at our ears in several scenes. One big complaint of mine is the excess of characters introduced from the get go; I found it hard to follow who-is-who, since there are too many names and faces. The plot is good, I'm not denying that, but the outcome, although being surprising and somehow original, feels over-the-top to me; I mean, nobody would do such things only to get "revenge". Thumbs up to the working out death, which felt really sadistic and painful-- isn't that what we usually expect from scary movies? All in all, the movie's achievement would be bigger if a better story was written, or if a fast-paced plot helped it flow.

This 1981 horror film stars Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane, Sharon Acker and Tracey Bregman. Anderson (Little House on the Prairie) plays Virginia Wainright who is about to celebrate her birthday. Four years ago, she was in a car accident with her mother, Estelle (Acker) and had to have surgery on her head. Soon, she starts having flashbacks of both while a mysterious killer starts slaughtering her friends. Virginia starts getting confused and begins to wonder if she's behind the killings or not. Dane plays her father, Hal, the late, Ford (Superman) plays Virginia's doctor, David Faraday and Bregman (The Young & The Restless) plays Virginia's best friend, Ann Thomerson. This isn't a bad slasher flick with a decent cast, gruesome killings and a clever ending. You should give this a try if you're a fan of the genre.