Hotmail
 Trailers & Clips Photos News Showtimes & Tickets |
|
Happy Birthday to Me
:
User Reviews
Date  Helpful Rating 0 out of 1 users found this helpful  the Scream of its day.Posted: 10/28/2005A review of Happy Birthday to Me by moveefrk1972 I got to appreciate this film very late in life, thanks in part to my affection for Wes Cravens horror hit Scream. I of course, remembered the rather graphic poster art when it was released back in 1981 and I had a seen an edited TV version, thinking it was crap. I decided to give it another try. Ive been a big fan ever since, only because now I know where Craven and writer Kevin Williamson got all their ideas!
This was the first horror film ever to satirize the slasher genre. HBTM did it first, and I think, did it best.
Melissa Sue Anderson did good work as Virginia Ginny Wainright, a pretty, high school socialite recently inducted into her schools top ten circle of snobs. But we sense early that somethings wrong. She is too caught up in bereavement over losing her mother and is plagued by memory loss. Her friends are mostly unsympathetic jerks, but she finds a confidant in the equally popular Ann Thomerson (Tracy Bregman). Then...to quote the phrase...the tish hits the fan!
Several key members of the Top Ten are savagely murdered by an unseen killer, and he (or she) has chosen some very creative methods (razor, motorcycle, weights, sheers and (as the poster forebodes) shish kebab). The odd thing, is that they all seem to happen around Ginny and as we see in her back story, coinciding with a jilted birthday party that no one attended and that led to her mothers accidental death. She survived, but had to undergo brain surgery so that she wouldnt become a vegetable. But now, her 18th birthday approaches and her guest list is getting shorter and shorter...or is it????
One of the pleasures of this film is that it keeps you guessing. The other is the subtle references to horror films of the past and then, the last ten minutes when all is revealed at a very macabre birthday party. It doesnt stand much in the way of logic or excellence, but it does deliver the goods. Was this review helpful? Sign In 1-1 of 1 Per Page | ||
| advertisement |
Movie data provided by:
