The defence The Arthouse Gremlin
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
Back to trending 
Happy Birthday to Me
Horror · Mystery · 1981
Virginia is proud that she belongs to a clique. The best students at a private school. But before her 18th birthday, a gruesome set of murders take place and her friends are the ones who are falling prey. Could it be her? She suffers from blackouts due to a freak accident one year earlier. We soon learn the truth behind her accident and what is going on.
Movie details
Happy Birthday to Me
“Six of the most bizarre murders you will ever see.”
1981 Horror · Mystery 1h 50m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.0 / 10
Community rating
Virginia is proud that she belongs to a clique. The best students at a private school. But before her 18th birthday, a gruesome set of murders take place and her friends are the ones who are falling prey. Could it be her? She suffers from blackouts due to a freak accident one year earlier. We soon learn the truth behind her accident and what is going on.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Happy Birthday to Me?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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The Last House on the Left
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The Prowler
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
J. Lee Thompson
Written by
John C.W. Saxton · Timothy Bond · Peter Jobin
Melissa Sue Anderson
Virginia Wainwright
Glenn Ford
Dr. David Faraday
Lawrence Dane
Hal Wainwright
Sharon Acker
Estelle Wainwright
Frances Hyland
Mrs. Patterson
Tracey E. Bregman
Ann Thomerson
Jack Blum
Alfred Morris
Court is in session
Put Happy Birthday to Me on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.