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Happy Birthday to Me[Widescreen] - DVD

SKU: 9543354 | Release Date: 10/13/2009

Rating: R for Gore, Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor

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Rating: R for Gore, Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor
Format: DVD
Theatrical Release: 1981
Length: 111 minutes
Screen Formats: Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV
Genre: General Horror
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Synopsis

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, All Movie Guide

Version Details

Languages/Sound

Eng

Screen Formats

Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV

Chapters

Disc #1 -- Happy Birthday to Me
1. Main Titles / Death in Black Gloves [6:35]
2. Playing the Game [6:07]
3. Night Prowler [9:48]
4. Guinea Pig [6:40]
5. Choking Hazard [4:50]
6. Alfred's Evil Deeds [7:42]
7. Bench Press Peril [5:08]
8. "Virginia, I've Got a Knife..." [8:08]
9. Gruesome Garden [8:51]
10. Blood Rose [5:23]
11. Boogie Down [5:39]
12. Skewered [2:20]
13. Descent Into Madness [8:48]
14. Family Secrets [7:30]
15. Happy Birthday to Me [14:28]
16. End Credits [2:34]

Cast

Lawrence Z. Dane - Hal
Sharon Acker - Estelle
Matt Craven - Steve
David Eisner - Rudi
Walter Massey - Conventioneer
Earl Pennington - Lt. Tracy
Richard Rebiere - Greg
Karen Stephen - Miss Calhoun
Damir Andrei - Junior Surgeon
Melissa Sue Anderson - Virginia
Murray Westgate - Gatekeeper
Terry Haig - Feinblum's Assistant
Griffith Brewer - Verger
Vlasta Vrana - Bartender
Lenore Zann - Maggie
Tracy Bregman - Ann
Jack Blum - Alfred
Louis del Grande - Surgeon
Lesley Donaldson - Bernadette
Glenn Ford - Dr. Faraday
Lisa Langlois - Amelia
Frances Hyland - Mrs. Patterson
Victor Knight
Ron Lea - Amelia's Date
Jerome Tiberghien - Prof. Heregard
Len Watt
Joe Wertheimer
Alan Katz - Ann's Date
Gina Dick - Waitress
Michel Rene LaBelle - Etienne
Damir Andre - Junior Surgeon
Tracey Bregman - Ann
Tracey E. Bregman - Ann

Crew

Screenwriter: Timothy Bond
Composer (Music Score): Bo Harwood
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Producer: John Dunning
Costume Designer: Huguette Gagne
Producer: Andre Link
Cinematographer: Miklos Lente
Editor: Debra Karen
Production Designer: Earl G. Preston
Composer (Music Score): Lance Rubin
Screenwriter: John Saxton
Short Story Author: John Saxton
Screenwriter: John Beaird
Producer: Stewart Harding
Sound/Sound Designer: Richard Lightstone
Screenwriter: Peter Jobin
Associate Producer: Larry Nesis

Happy Birthday to Me: AMG Review
Donald Guarisco , AMG

Happy Birthday to Me stands out from the slasher movie pack of the early '80s because it pushes all the genre's elements to absurd heights. The murders, plot twists, and, especially, the last-minute revelations that are dished up in the final reel don't just deny credibility, they outright defy it. However, this quality doesn't make Happy Birthday to Me unwatchable. In fact, this film can be quite entertaining if viewed in the proper tongue-in-cheek frame of mind. The background performances suffer from the thin characterizations they are saddled with, but the lead performances are quite good. Melissa Sue Anderson wisely plays the material straight and comes off quite sympathetic, and Glenn Ford's solid work as Dr. Faraday lends the film a much-needed element of credibility. Behind the camera, J. Lee Thompson allows the pace to be a bit too slack, but brings an old-fashioned "studio director" sense of polish to the material and stages the film's show-stopping murder scenes with gruesome aplomb. Most importantly, the screenwriters work overtime to create a story line that will keep viewers guessing, despite its often ridiculous excesses, and pepper it with plenty of solid shocks (squeamish viewers should beware the infamous shish-kebab scene). The end result is often quite silly, but anyone with a soft spot for 1980s horror will find it difficult to take their eyes off the screen. Ultimately, Happy Birthday to Me is probably a little too over-the-top and relaxed in its pacing for most modern audiences, but it provides an interesting history lesson for new horror fans who think the slasher genre begins with Scream. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

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Happy Birthday to Me[Widescreen] - DVD

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