Happy Birthday to Me (1980)
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33% of critics liked it
(9 reviews) -
43% of users liked it
(4,181 ratings)
Certainly the low point in Glenn Ford's acting career, this Canadian production is, nevertheless, one of the slickest-looking slasher films from that subgenre's early-'80s heyday. The plot (what one can make of it) involves an unseen killer stalking a group of college students at the… More Certainly the low point in Glenn Ford's acting career, this Canadian production is, nevertheless, one of the slickest-looking slasher films from that subgenre's early-'80s heyday. The plot (what one can make of it) involves an unseen killer stalking a group of college students at the prestigious Crawford Academy. The well-staged murders are mysteriously linked to the slightly off-kilter Virginia (Melissa Sue Anderson, formerly of Little House on the Prairie), whose disturbing past holds the key to the killer's identity. Though this film brought nothing new to the psycho-horror field, it did feature one of the more interesting ad campaigns of the period. One-sheets loudly boasted, "Six of the most bizarre murders you've ever seen!" and barred all late-arriving patrons from entering the theater during the final ten minutes (a promotional stunt stolen from Psycho). This hype proved less than apropos since the murders in question are not particularly bizarre or original (aside from the shish-kabob impalement depicted in the ads), and the film's climax is so painfully contrived that latecomers may be more able to comprehend it than those bemused viewers who watched the film from the beginning. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Directed By
- J. Lee Thompson
- Genres
- Art House & International, Horror
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1981 Wide
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
A great deal more complex than it has any right or reason to be.
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
It's not particularly gory, scary or suspenseful, but it actually contains some good twists and a generally higher level of character and performance.
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Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton, Dread Central
If horror fans are going to shell out their hard-earned money for a movie, there needs to be more than just a prettier picture on the DVD case.
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Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
pretty sweet forgotten 80s slasher
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Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
J. Lee Thompson's entry in the slasher sweepstakes, done up with the usual lack of style.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Melissa Sue Anderson
as Virginia
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Glenn Ford
as Dr. Faraday
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Tracey E. Bregman
as Ann
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Jack Blum
as Alfred
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Matt Craven
as Steve
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Lenore Zann
as Maggie
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David Eisner
as Rudi
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Lisa Langlois
as Amelia
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Lawrence Z. Dane
as Hal
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Frances Hyland
as Mrs. Patterson
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Sharon Acker
as Estelle
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Michel Rene LaBelle
as Etienne
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Richard Rebiere
as Greg
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Lesley Donaldson
as Bernadette
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Earl Pennington
as Lt. Tracy
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Damir Andrei
as Junior Surgeon
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Louis Del Grande
as Surgeon
- Victor Knight
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Ron Lea
as Amelia's Date
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Walter Massey
as Conventioneer
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Karen Stephen
as Miss Calhoun
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Vlasta Vrana
as Bartender
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Murray Westgate
as Gatekeeper
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Jerome Tiberghien
as Prof. Heregard
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Griffith Brewer
as Verger
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Terry Haig
as Feinblum's Assistant
- Joe Wertheimer
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Alan Katz
as Ann's Date
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Gina Dick
as Waitress
- Len Watt