Rating: 
Summary: Great DVD, horrible soundtrack
Review: Not as well known or as popular until the past few years given its cult status, Happy Birthday To Me is a fabulous mystery/horror film. The films of today are too slick, these old school horrors have that "look" that makes them special. Sure, HBTM is an obvious "Halloween" & "F13" clone, but one of the best, so don't overlook it! It stars Melissa Sue "Little House On The Prarie" Anderson as Ginny, a young girl who survives a freak accident that leaves her with brain surgery and a very bad memory. This freak accident happened on her birthday four years ago, and now, her intended guests for the party that never occurred are disappearing one by one in mysterious and violent ways. All poor Ginny wants is a party. Lush photography and above average acting set this '80s slashfest apart from its well received counterparts. The key to enjoying this film is remembering that nothing is what it appears to be so watch and listen closely to the twist ending. It comes out of nowhere. Well, surprise...you saw the same plot used again in Wes Craven's "Scream." This one is scary fun so blow out the candles and make a wish.
Also, it's so awesome to see so many people that are fans of this film on many websites! I'd love to get a petition going to to whoever will listen to find out what is the deal with that hideous DVD soundtrack. I have heard this was the original version before the film was re-scored. Columbia/Tri-Star Home Video just picked it up for processing I'm sure and didn't note that there is a HUGE cult following of this film out there. You people here on this board and the hundreds out there bashing it on every DVD site I find proves it!
If you are interested, please send your name, email and message for the DVD powers that be (polite and intelligent please) You never know what will happen.
Thanks!
"Hey that nimrod owes me 20 bucks!"
Rating: 
Summary: The SCREAM of its day!
Review: Okay, so I really enjoyed the SCREAM movies, but upon seeing this movie again (and again, and again...) I have to conclude Kevin Williamson REALLY ripped this off. The "plot-revelations" at the end of SCREAM are identical to this conclusion here, though HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME truly caught me off guard with its ending! As for SCREAM 2, it's exactly what I always though a HAPPY BIRTHDAY sequel would be... hmmm. A fantastic entry in the slasher sub-genre, HAPPY BIRTHDAY utilizes a more thoughtful plot than others of its day, keeps the murders gory and shocking and manages to accomplish what many other slashers didn't... scare the audience. Melissa Sue Anderson is a wonderful heroine and the rest of the cast is fun and likeable, while at the same time mysterious and dark. ANYONE could be the killer... and don't always believe what you're seeing! So how about that sequel?
Rating: 
Summary: You Say It's Your Birthday
Review: Thanks to horror classics like Halloween, The Howling, and The Exorcist, the genre saw a resurgence in the 70's and 80's, not even matched by today's standards. More often then not though, most of them were just pale imatations of, the crazed killer stalking teens with raging hormones plot. Very few of these films broke away from the pack, comming up with a new spin, an exception is the mildly clever Happy Birthday To Me. Thanks to severe head trauma, Virginia Wainwright, (Melissa Sue Anderson, who tried to shed her past role on TV's Little House, but hasn't done much since) part of her brain is damaged, to the point where she can't remember her recent past. When she returns to school at the Crawford Academy, she is welcomed into the Top Ten, a snooty social clique. Things turn deadly, as someone starts killing off the members of the group. With her 18th birthday approaching Virginia starts to doubt her own sanity, thinking that the killer's real identity, may indeed, be linked to her own forgotton past - or that she herself may even be the killer, acting out, during one of her blackouts. Directed by Lee J. Thompson, who worked on the original Cape Fear and Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, elevates the film a bit, and makes you (almost) forget that it's really just a slasher flick. The interesting twist of the possiblity that the heroine may be the murderer is also kinda fun. The film is also given even more credability, by the prescence of the great Glenn Ford, as Dr. David Faraday. The script has all the familiar horror film cliches, of course but as I said, it's still got enough there to make it watchable and even fun. Happy Birthday To Me is not yet available on DVD. Therefore, VHS will have to do for now. It may be hard to find a copy of it. If you do...Rent don't Buy...It's worth a look for horror enthusiasts *** and a half stars
Rating: 
Summary: Thanks for the Heads Up on the DVD version
Review: Thanks!! I own this on VHS and was going to buy the dvd for my sister. Thankfully I read the reviews written here. Why on earth would they change the score, that is a mess. I mean the movie is pretty decent and I was excited about the dvd, but luckily mr VHS copy is still in good shape!
Rating:
Summary: Great, scary movie
Review: This is about the scariest teen horror movie you will ever see that has a decent plot to go along with it. It's truly frightening, and there is plenty of gore with some very creative murder scenes. It will keep you guessing, that's for sure. It boasts quite a good cast and Melissa Sue Anderson proves she can do more than sweet Mary from Little House. If you are looking for nudity, this isn't it. There's not as much as a nipple here, if you can believe it from this time-frame. There is really no way you can guess the murderer's identity, the movie takes quite a bit of license there, but you will be thinking and talking about it for quite some time. The mood and tone are quite creepy. Extremely well-done for its genre. This is a must-see for any horror fan!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best slasher movies of all time...
Review: This movie might seem extremely expensive, but it is worth every penny. Who knows when you will have a chance to buy this classic again? "Happy Birthday to Me" is one of the best 1980's slasher movies that I have ever seen. If you liked "Friday the 13th," "Halloween," "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Hellraiser," "Scream," or "I Know What You Did Last Summer," then you will LOVE this movie. It has a killer ending and some of the most brutal death scenes in horror history.
Rating:
Summary: Soundtrack from HELL
Review: This was one of my favorite movies from the early 80's and I was so excited to FINALLY get this on DVD...I get it and the wonderfully haunting and creepy soundtrack has been replaced by this godawful DISCO soundtrack.....This should have been disclosed on the cover....at least my VHS is still intact.
Rating:
Summary: Happy Birthday To Me delivers...sort of
Review: Virginia Wainwright (Melissa Sue Anderson) has returned to school after a car accident a year before that had claimed her mother's life. Virginia's injuries had required experimental brain surgery, and she's under the care of a doctor (Glenn Ford). Trouble is, her friends start to turn up missing at the same time she starts to experience memory lapses. Film uses pre "Scream" formula of making everyone a suspect, but characters often behave oddly, and even after repeated viewings the film is confusing. Veteran director J. Lee Thompson has a great formula, but too many undeveloped red herrings spoil it. The ads boast "Six of the most bizarre murders you will ever see", and that's pretty accurate. A very interesting misfire, but a must see for horror fans. Too bad, because there is some real talent behind and in front of the camera.
Rating:
Summary: I'm just as confused as everyone else...arrghh!
Review: well, I've read the reviews here about the soundtrack being changed to something crappy (why they do this I'll never understand). First of all, FANGORIA magazine had a big 6 page spread about this movie being released on DVD (it's in the issue with SEED OF CHUCKY on the cover), and I don't recall them mentioning that the soundtrack was completely changed! All they did was give rants and raves about how it was finally released on DVD by Columbia (and describes how the studio bought the film outright for 3.5 million!) You would think that would have included the original sountrack in their deal! It's bad enough that they changed the cover art to some cheesy, crappy dumb, generic photo of some girl who isn't even in the movie holding a cake. Horror fans love the original artwork, why change it?! Also, Columbia has a bad habbit of overcharging customers for their dvds (this is pretty hefty at $24 bucks!) Luckily, I have the original VHS that I got from ebay a while back (I recommend buying that instead of this crappy dvd version). Hopefully, the people at Columbia will see these horrible reviews and realize what a mistake they made and re-release the orginial version! One can only hope....until now I'm holding onto my VHS copy. ORIGINAL VERSION=5 stars, generic, crappy dvd version with cheeseball music=1 star.
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