You have just got to love a horror movie that has Melissa Sue Anderson in it. Who would believe that sweet little Mary from Little House on the Prairie would be in a slasher film, and a good slasher movie at that.
In Happy Birthday to Me, Ginny (Melissa Sue Anderson) attends the Crawford Academy, a college prep school, where she finally belongs to the clique of cool kids. As Ginny’s 18th birthday approaches, her friends are disappearing one by one. Could it have something to do with the car accident she suffered a few years before? What happens to Ginny during her blackouts?
This is a slasher worth watching. The Crawford Academy is a great setting for a horror flick, and although Ginny and her friends do lean into stereotypes, they are also not so stereotypical that they don’t have something to them. There are several memorable deaths, including my all time favorite – death by shish kabob. What other film can say they have a death by shish kabob? It’s so good, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone used it again, but this movie will always be my first. Also the icky brain surgery scenes from Ginny’s car accident are right up there with those Exorcist Regan in the MRI scenes. Ouch.
This is truly a great slasher. Sure, it’s got some problems, like why are teenagers at a prep school served alcohol at the local tavern? It really feels like it should have been a college movie - they all look like college kids anyway. But it’s got a good twist ending and good acting, plus plenty of icky deaths to round things out. I’ve seen this one several times and love it every time.
Rating: 5 Purrs for death by shish kabob, the red herrings, and an unexpected ending
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