Best movie of this year hands down!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The first must-see film of the year.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Neither good nor bad. Amazing acting, but completely unrealistic ending.

Veteran director J. Lee Thompson was unusually fond of stepping into the gutter once in a while, so this gory slasher-flick wasn't just a case of an esteemed filmmaker cashing a paycheck. Thompson gets good work from top-billed Melissa Sue Anderson as a traumatized teen who may or may not be responsible for the elaborate slayings of several of her classmates at an elite academy--but the picture goes on and on for a seat-numbing 110 minutes, and one good performance isn't enough to carry the load. The screenplay by John Saxton, Peter Jobin and Timothy Bond, from Saxton's original story, appears to have been worked over many times by too many writers, and the whole bloody mess collapses under the weight of throat slashings, false scares, brain surgery and a double-twist ending that makes no sense. Glenn Ford's obtuse role as Anderson's doctor is also a puzzler--but no matter, he's trashed right along with most of the cast. Canadian-made thriller has very few thrills, however cinematographer Miklos Lente gives the final scenes an eerie sheen and Thompson stages a suspenseful game of chicken near the beginning. *1/2 from ****

This 1981 horror film stars Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane, Sharon Acker and Tracey Bregman. Anderson (Little House on the Prairie) plays Virginia Wainright who is about to celebrate her birthday. Four years ago, she was in a car accident with her mother, Estelle (Acker) and had to have surgery on her head. Soon, she starts having flashbacks of both while a mysterious killer starts slaughtering her friends. Virginia starts getting confused and begins to wonder if she's behind the killings or not. Dane plays her father, Hal, the late, Ford (Superman) plays Virginia's doctor, David Faraday and Bregman (The Young & The Restless) plays Virginia's best friend, Ann Thomerson. This isn't a bad slasher flick with a decent cast, gruesome killings and a clever ending. You should give this a try if you're a fan of the genre.

The Canadian movie "Happy Birthday to Me" is above average when it comes to the slasher genre - though it must be admitted that feat wouldn't be that difficult to do, given the generally awful quality of your typical slasher. The movie is not free without problems, however. At 110 minutes, it's much too long and padded out. There are moments that don't make much sense, from the unexplained burying of certain objects on the campus grounds to the explanation from the killer at the climax. On the other hand, the movie looks very nice and slick; it obviously had an ample budget. Also, there are some innovative kills. The main star attraction of the movie, however, is the script, which is filled with many twists and turns that will keep you guessing right until the end. I don't know if this can be considered a "good" movie, but if you are in a mood for a slasher movie, this is definitely one of the better examples and it will probably satisfy. Try to track down the Blu-ray edition if you decide to watch the movie - it makes the movie look brand new and fabulous.