BLOODY
BIRTHDAY (1980)Director: Ed Hunt
VCI Entertainment
BLOODY
BIRTHDAY (1980)Other than VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, its sequel CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED, and the classic BAD SEED, the "killer kid" subgenre was not as enormously popular as it would become in later years, following the release of the abysmal CHILDREN OF THE CORN. But before that film made murderous tykes a popular staple in horror films, there were two films that are still relatively obscure, despite being far superior: 1975's DEVIL TIMES FIVE and 1980's BLOODY BIRTHDAY. With TIMES FIVE still missing in action on DVD, it's about time someone unearthed the sleeper BIRTHDAY.
On the day of a solar eclipse,
three children are born simultaneously: Debbie Brody (Elizabeth Hoy), Curtis
Taylor (popular TV star Billy Jacoby, billed as Billy Jayne), and Steven Soton
(Andy Freeman). But there's something not right about these three little kids.
They never spend time away from one another, they're cloyingly cute and intelligent.....and
they're murdering the townspeople one by one! Guns, shovels, knifes, arrows,
baseball bats, and poison are their weapons of choice. The only two people who
suspect the evil trio are Joyce Russel (Lori Lethin) and her brother Timmy (K.C.
Martel), who battle it out with them in a fight to the finish!
The influence of the DAMNED films
and BAD SEED are undeniable, but BLOODY BIRTHDAY expands on the ideas of those
films. Very effective cinematography by Stephen Posey creates successful suspense
in several sequences, and the feel of an actual suburb terrorized by murderous
children is very well rendered. An overly dramatic score aside, the film is
made all the more successful by the ensemble cast, most of whom went on to bigger
and better things. Lori Lethin is a plucky, likable heroine (obviously inspired
by Jamie Lee Curtis in HALLOWEEN) and she would cross over to many television
guest appearances and supporting roles in Hollywood. Her relationship with her
brother is the real heart of the film, as they come to terms with their situation
and work together to survive. K.C. Martel may be recognizable as one of Michael's
bike-riding friends in E.T. and from his appearances on "Growing Pains";
horror fans will remember him having his hand slammed in a window in AMITYVILLE
HORROR. The cast member with the most success is doubtlessly Julie Brown, who
has made a career of playing busty sexpots, notably in 
films
like CLUELESS and TV shows such as "Strip Mall" and her MTV show "Just
Say Julie." Guest appearances by Susan Strasberg (a teacher who gets gunned
down!) and Jose Ferrer (the doctor who delivers the kids) add some class.
Post-Columbine, the multiple murders
are very disturbing. All three kid actors are very good, and are all able to
convey the viciousness of their evil acts very well! Steven beats the Sheriff
Brody to death with a baseball bat while his daughter Debbie looks on, smiling
approvingly! Curtis shoots a couple having sex in a van with his revolver! Debbie
shoots a girl in the eye with an arrow! Those are only a handful of the unbelievably
sick death sequences! Those with a craving for cheese, never fear. You will
eat up the almost 5-minute long sequence of Judy Brown dancing and stripping
to a pretty great rock song while Curtis and Steven peep through a hole in the
wall! Kinda creepy on reflection, really.... The final twist ending is worth
mentioning, too.
The letterboxed transfer for BLOODY BIRTHDAY is passable, but it's obvious there wasn't much restoration involved. The print has nice colors in some spots, but is often much too dark and grainy for some scenes to be seen clearly (possibly a problem with the original cinematography). The mono audio isn't anything to cheer about. Still, I guess we're lucky to have this film on DVD at all.
There are trailers for KISS OF
THE TARANTULA, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR, and HOMEWORK. A fine biography for director
Ed Hunt is provided by William Wilson is included, as is a lengthy 
interview
with executive producer Max Rosenberg. The interview runs a little long, and
not enough is actually said about the film itself, but it's an interesting little
piece worth seeing.
BLOODY BIRTHDAY is one of the most underrated horror films ever made, and the fact that it has finally made to DVD (after many, many delays) is a blessing. Unfortunately, because this is VCI, the film may still languish in obscurity. Their DVD releases are criminally hard to find, so good luck tracking this one down! Believe me, it's worth the hunt!
Note: Some DVD players will play
BLOODY BIRTHDAY in fullscreen when loaded into the player. On your Options menu,
select 4:3 LBX to view it in widescreen. Thanks to William Wilson for this piece
of information! (Casey Scott)