It was a few years back when I first looked up the trailer for Happy Birthday to Me. At that moment I was less than impressed with what I had been presented with in the short snippet to advertise the film. That, in connection with the strange image from the DVD cover and film poster, sort of turned me off to this film. And here is where the old adage of "Don't judge a book by its cover" comes into play. I can say that the trailer and other advertisements don't even come close to doing this movie justice. As I picked up the movie in honor of my birthday and watched it, all I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised--amazed even--at how much this film drew me in and then startled me in the end.
The main thing that sets this movie apart is the strong character development behind the young female lead, Virginia. Played by Melisa Sue Anderson--the actress who also portrayed Mary in Little House on the Prairie--Virginia becomes someone we are confused by, connected to, and sympathetic with throughout the film. Anderson does a phenomenal job in playing this part, taking us on a wild psychological journey into the mind of someone who is so much more than just "The Final Girl." She even won an award for her role in this film.
This element of character puts Happy Birthday to Me a stroke above many other slasher films on the market. The problem with most horror--and most media in general--is that the characters are stock. The audience doesn't care about them, doesn't sympathize with them. (I believe this is one reason we still have great literature, since Hollywood seems less and less capable of making a well written and coherent film) Horror, and especially the classic slasher, are so much more than bloody kills, naked women, and a body count. Don't get me wrong, I eat slasher films up like candy. I love them. But horror should focus on the character and their experience, fears, and reactions to the dark elements around them. The story should be woven by them and not by a poor excuse to get another kill in.
Happy Birthday to Me does just that. Yes, most of the other characters are flat and stock, but we spend so much time with Virginia that it doesn't seem to matter.
what may seem like a boring and generic slasher copycat at the beginning, turns into a new twist on the genre in the end. This film takes elements of other forms of horror and sprinkles them into this film like colored sugar on a cake. No, it isn't groundbreaking--it will never be a Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Halloween--but it does make for a different exciting vibe to the film that we don't always get.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 9
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 3
Sex Factor: 2
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 4