‘Bloody Birthday’ is a Bona Fide Camp Classic [So Bad it’s Great]
Welcome to So Bad It’s Great. This recurring segment will champion films that may not be good in the conventional sense that had their heart in the right place. The titles featured here will be overly earnest, unintentionally silly, and undeniably fun.
All things considered, Ed Hunt’s Bloody Birthday is far better than it should be, having been shot on a shoestring budget over the course of less than two weeks. And it’s certainly a better film than Scream for Help or Nail Gun Massacre (both of which have previously been covered on So Bad it’s Great). But Bloody Birthday nonetheless serves up a hefty helping of unintentional camp and an outrageous storyline that rarely puts much effort into making sense. So, with that in mind, I will be looking back on this schlocky ‘80s export that’s almost impossible not to love in spite of its shortcomings.
The film follows a trio of children born during a solar eclipse (Elizabeth Hoy, Billy Jayne, and Andrew Freeman). Accordingly, the tots develop sociopathic tendencies. Each of them is without remorse and considers killing a justifiable means to an end. The tykes conspire to violently remove anyone that stands in the way of their upcoming birthday celebration, especially nosy neighbors like Joyce (Lori Lethin) and her kid brother, Timmy (K.C. Martel)!
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This flick is light on story but makes up for that with copious amounts of bare skin, most of which has little to no bearing on the outcome of the film. Characters that don’t have names or a role in the film beyond their death scene are killed during the throes of passion, solely for the sake of cramming as much flesh as possible into the picture’s 85-minute runtime.
Also lacking are the special effects. The death sequences are woefully underwhelming for a horror film. A lot of the violence occurs off-camera or is realized in the cheapest way possible. While that doesn’t really up the terror quotient, it definitely serves to enhance the flick’s haphazard charm.
One of the things I love most about Bloody Birthday is just how vicious the children are. But it’s a strange juxtaposition because their performances are on the campy side. However, their actions are no joke. They mean business and they have come to collect their pound of flesh.
Though the tots don’t really come across as all that imposing, the vigor with which each child actor delivers their lines is hard not to appreciate. Each juvenile thespian manages to somewhat believably sell the artificially angelic side of their personality. But they don’t really strike fear in the heart of the viewer as cold-blooded killers like Damien in The Omen or Rhoda in The Bad Seed.
Beyond that, the film is full of other strange quirks to love. One of my favorites is that Joyce and Timmy’s dad (who we only ever hear on the phone) sounds like the distorted robot voice from an ‘80s answering machine; I have no clue why. Their mother talks like a human. But I am here for it, as the youths say.
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In spite of the film’s flaws, one of the aspects that really does work is Lori Lethin as final girl Joyce. Lethin (who was on Dread Central’s Dissecting Horror panel breaking down the term ‘Scream Queen) is likable, resourceful, engaging, and gives the audience someone to cheer for. Additionally, her relationship with kid brother Timmy is surprisingly authentic, all things considered. I could be biased because I am lucky enough to count her as a friend but I think Lethin’s turn as Joyce is easily one of the best things about Bloody Birthday. She is also one of the highlights of the ahead-of-its-time meta slasher sendup, Return to Horror High. But I’ll dig into that another time.
All in all, Bloody Birthday may not be as effective as many of its contemporaries but it is an undeniably fun time that I can’t help but fall in love with every time I revisit.
If you’re keen to check out Bloody Birthday, it can be found for free on Tubi as of the publication of this post. But if you end up digging it as much as I do, you may want to treat yourself to the Arrow Blu-ray. That release is decked out with features and boasts a beautiful HD transfer of the film.
Stay tuned for additional installment of this feature in the near future. And in the meantime, let us know your thoughts on Bloody Birthday on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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