REVIEW: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (1981)
By Stephen Pytak In the 1980s, the glut of slasher films playing at the multiplex followed a formula which included a few key tropes. For example, these flicks had to have a wild ending, something to surprise the audience. And sometimes filmmakers employed a twist, something no one (hopefully) saw coming. Sleepaway Camp (1983) had one. And it might be the best one ever. It was the reveal of the identity of the killer. Endings like these had to elevate the material and make the movie more than just a flesh and blood show. The catalysts the filmmakers employed had to somehow tickle the gray matter. The twist at the climax of J. Lee Thompson's Happy Birthday to Me (1981) is certainly unique. And I'm sure back in the day it made an impression on some folks. Maybe it really impressed a few, and left some others scratching their heads. The film will be screened at The Colonial Theatre at 227 Bridge St. in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania at 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. It ...