H is for...

Beginning with Black Christmas and Halloween, horror movies of the seventies and eighties took advantage of every holiday to unleash a serial killer. After using up the major ones, they moved on to other important dates: prom nights, graduations, of course first menstrual cycles.

After terrorizing Valentine's day, producers decided to take on birthdays. Happy Birthday to Me is the story of a group of students at Crawford Academy. While meeting for drinks at the local bar, one of the women is attacked and murdered in a parking lot. As the kids enjoy their beer, Virginia arrives late. The group soon starts a brawl with the locals and they rush to their cars. Full of machismo, the guys start a race towards the drawbridge, which is lifting. Virginia freaks out and runs home, to the confusion of her friends. It seems that Virginia has a few secrets...

Throughout the film, Virginia has flashbacks of a strange surgery she underwent. Memories of an accident that killed her mother begin surfacing, sending Virginia towards madness. At the same time, members of the group start disappearing. The kids seem mildly concerned, but continue with their daily lives. Meanwhile, Virginia undergoes psychiatric treatments with doctor Glenn Ford. As more and more students vanish, Virginia is convinced she is the killer.

Happy Birthday to Me is a strange little entry into the slasher genre. It's a bit slower moving than most, with the kills coming farther between than a Freddy or Jason film.When they happen, however, they are gory and memorable.(Just look at that cover!) In the original cut, the ending was blatantly obvious during the first few scenes. Producers subsequently changed the ending, resulting in a bit of a strange story structure. The change does make the film more interesting, setting it apart from some of the lower end killer flicks.

Posted in: happy birthday to me,Horror,Horror A To Z