Macabre...ish Horror Review: Happy Birthday To Me

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to Me, 1981/ 111 min.

 

 

 

 

In the first 5 minutes of a movie a woman is choked out in her own back seat, she manages to escape but barely runs anywhere before she’s killed.

 

 

 

 

Elsewhere at a tavern, a group of rich kids gather, friends from the local academy, until they get the bright idea to play chicken with a draw bridge and one car narrowly makes it, crashing on the other side, though no one is hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

There is quite a wait until something happens again while we notice Ginny had brain damage and is part of an experiment to repair her brain and her attempt to re-assimilate back into her life. Along with flashbacks to her brain surgery and nightmares. When the killings resume they are generally short and sweet. Somewhat bloody and not very graphic, though quite a few people are murdered. And we don’t see the killer’s face but they obviously know the person.

 

 

 

 

Some of the video is shaky cam and killer pov but it’s nice, adds to the experience and cues us in to another death coming up. I can’t say this is scary, more of a thriller, murder mystery than anything. You don’t realize until the end, how insane this movie is.

 

Meanwhile, each of the 10 friends dies one by one, each in a different way. And just when you think you know what’s going on, you don’t.

 

 

 

 

The effects are well done with the exception of an insane amount of blood spray on a couple of occasions. A few jump scares, it is eerie and the surprise ending is quite a surprise.