Ah, the birthday – a time for family, friends, presents and cake. . . but what if no one was to show up to that party? Could the effects of such a frightful occurrence have repercussions on a young child’s psyche? The genesis event of the 1981 Canadian slasher film Happy Birthday to Me finds veteran director J. Lee Thompson (1962’s Cape Fear) transporting the audience into a violent murder mystery with a twist.
Straddling the line of a slasher film and an Italian giallo, the killer is no mindless harbinger of undefeatable evil seen in features like Halloween and Friday the 13th, rather a sometimes straight-razor-wielding killer dressed all in black except for their white running shoes – I know what you are probably thinking, what horrible fashion sense. Furthermore, those being killed recognize their murderer, adding another layer to the mystery.
Centred on the ‘Top Ten’, a gang that consists of the most popular teens at Crawford Academy (a posh private high school), our main protagonist is Virginia ‘Ginny’ Wainwright (Melissa Sue Anderson – Mary from Little House on the Prairie), a young woman who, after a horrific car accident when she was a child, underwent experimental brain surgery – leaving her with repressed memories and sudden blackouts (adding just a touch of parapsychology – which was found in many films of this era, most notably, Carrie).
With a long dead mother, and an oft travelling father (Lawrence Dane), most of her nurturing comes from her caring psychologist, Dr. David Faraday (Glenn Ford). Yet, despite all this, her friends really have no idea of her issues. Alfred (Jack Blum), the awkward taxidermy hobbyist and pet rat carrier (Norman Bates, anyone?), lustfully gazes at Ginny, while her best friend Ann (Tracey E. Bregman) is a supportive sidekick. There is also the French Ambassador’s son, Etienne (Michel-René Labelle), a popular motorcycle racer; blond weightlifter Greg (Richard Rebiere); slick Steve (Matt Craven); slightly twitchy blonde Maggie (Lenore Zann); Amelia (Lisa Langlois); sharp brunette Bernadette (Lesleh Donaldson); and top soccer star Rudi (David Eisner).
Soon, one by one, the Top Ten begin to fall. As their numbers dwindle, so do the suspects. Does Ginny’s hidden past have something to do with the multiple murders? Could she actually be the killer? If not, who could it be?
In Thompson’s talented hands, Happy Birthday to Me hovers above its schlocky premise, in many ways thanks to its slick visuals. Playing with the tension, Thompson is able to hold the suspense – instead of opting for a quick jump scare, he strings the scene along, the audience pushed further and further onto the edge of their seat. A perfect example is a sequence in which Ginny enters her room (and we, the audience, know someone has entered through the window) – the closet, shower curtain and other hidy-holes used to great effect as the tension takes forever to be released. Likewise, he utilizes some sharp, probing closeups (à la Alfred Hitchcock) to show the emotion on the characters’ faces, while he uses multiple split diopter shots (where both the foreground and background are clear) throughout the film – a technique famously used by Brian De Palma. . . everything coming together to develop a dark, brooding atmosphere. There is also an excellently shot stunt scene where the teens (while driving) play a game of chicken as a drawbridge rises – a stuntman actually broke both ankles depicting the awe-inspiring stupidity of reckless teens. And, perhaps more importantly than everything else, he develops several noteworthy kills – creative, graphic, and wholly unexpected murders that elevate the piece up and away from formulaic.
The score also deserves mention. Composed by Bo Harwood and Lance Rubin, it juxtaposes a melancholic, almost childlike piano theme with a sinister orchestral piece – its strings helping drive the above mentioned tension to the max, the combination feeding into Ginny’s slowly returning childhood memories and the sheer terror happening in the present day.
Mostly filmed in picturesque Montreal, Happy Birthday to Me is a solid slasher film with some similarities to the gialli of the 1970s. For trivia buffs, the film’s producers, André Link and John Dunning, released another slasher flick in 1981 – namely, My Bloody Valentine. Though the ending is a bit silly (coming out of left field), it does not take away from the many things the movie does right – clever visuals, quite solid performances and an entertaining, over-the-top story. There are even some nice references to classic films (and actors) throughout – Peter Lorre, High Noon, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. So, unmask this VHS era cult classic by making a wish as you blow out your birthday candles, it is a party you will always remember.