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 will a "laserdisc" screening, according to the theatre's website. 

And if you haven't seen it, it's a good chance to experience it on the big screen. Then you can decide for yourself if that ending is a classic or a misfire. 

Personally, I think the film has gotten better with age. 

I'm going to discuss my views here. And, yes, there will be spoilers. You have been warned.

Melissa Sue Anderson in "Happy Birthday to Me (1981)."

The film follows the nightmarish misadventures of "Virginia Wainwright (Melissa Sue Anderson)," a high school senior at Crawford Academy, which I think is somewhere in New York.

She's among the class elite. Her so-called friends are among the most privileged and popular. 

Virginia is a troubled girl with a troubling backstory.

A few years earlier, her mother "Estelle (Sharon Acker)" invited many of these well-to-do kids to Virginia's birthday party. I think that was when she turned 14. Anyway, these kids didn't show. 

Instead, they decided to go to a party being held by another one of the popular girls, "Ann Thomerson (Tracey Bregman)."

The incident drives Virginia's mother mad. She attempts to drive Virginia to Ann's house, but has a bad experience on a drawbridge. She drowns. Virginia survives, but suffers brain tissue damage and a lifetime of bad memories.

So, four years later, Virginia is preparing to celebrate her 18th birthday. Her father leaves for the weekend. And it's obviously going to be the best weekend ever. 

Then her friends start dying off. 

So what's going on here?

Is Virginia on a revenge trip?

Or is someone trying to crash her party?

I always thought this film was kind of fun. And one of the reasons I'm giving it a high rating is I've enjoyed talking about it so much over the years.

Melissa Sue does pretty well with this. 

I remember Melissa Sue as "Mary Ingalls" in Little House on the Prairie, which ran on NBC from 1974 to 1983. The show gave her a lot of opportunities to hone her acting chops, and deal with some dark material.

If you're curious, check out Season 6, Episodes 18 and 19, a two-parter called "May We Make Them Proud," which aired in February 1980.

Melissa Sue has a great look and piercing blue eyes which made her stand out from everybody else.

Another actress with experience on the tube was the lead in a horror film that year. That was Maren Jensen. She was the star of Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing (1981). And like Melissa Sue, she has a great screen presence and holds the film together. 

I promised spoilers. And, well, here we go.

When I first saw Happy Birthday to Me on cable back in the day, I was kind of hoping Virginia was the villain.

That would have wrapped up the story nicely. And the title of the film actually lent itself to that kind of plot. 

I mean, the snobs she hung out with weren't the most sympathetic. After everything Virginia went through, including the car crash and the brain surgery, it seemed like she would be the one most likely to pick up a straight razor and take a few of them out.

And, actually, that's what we're led to believe.

See, at times during the film, we actually see Virginia committing some of these murders.

But the last few hundred feet of celluloid reveal that that's not the case.

The killer here is Ann Thomerson. Yes, that Ann Thomerson.

Turns out she's wearing a disguise to look exactly like Virginia. 

Really?

Yes.

Uh, so, how is that possible?

Dunno exactly.

We're left wondering how the villain pulled this off. 

There is no explanation. You never see how it's done.

It's an easier pill to swallow if you believe this film takes place in the same universe as the Mission: Impossible TV series, which ran on CBS for seven seasons from 1966 to 1973.

Such masks were a staple of the franchise. They allowed agents to impersonate others by using realistic, form-fitting latex masks.

And, of course, those masks were also used in the Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible series. And folks who see Happy Birthday to Me (1981) now might think about how those films when the big reveal happens in the end.

Since Ann was well-to-do, you can conclude she had connections to an outfit like Wayne Enterprises or the high-tech Halloween costume designer "Coco Diablo" from the animated film Trick or Treat Scooby Doo! (2022).

So, was this a genius idea? Or a faux pas?

All I can say is I'm sure it's one of the reasons why we're still talking about this film.

The film has a great cast.

Bregman went on to star in The Concrete Jungle in 1982, and the soap opera The Young and the Restless.

Also here is Lesleh Donaldson, who horror fans will remember from films like Funeral Home (1980) and Curtains (1983).

I wish the soundtrack for Happy Birthday to Me (1981) by Bo Harwood and Lance Rubin would get an official release.

Back in the day, the sheet music for the theme song by Syreeta was published and available to buy. I remember seeing it for sale at Boscov's at Fairground Square Mall in Reading, Pennsylvania. Of course, I had to buy a copy. It's still in my archive.

 RATING (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4.