Bloody Birthday

What if Bobby and Cindy Brady were actually homicidal maniacs? That’s essentially the premise behind Bloody Birthday, a 1981 slasher shot with all the style of a Sherwood Schwartz sitcom. Three kids are born at the same time, in the same hospital during a solar eclipse. If you keep up with your horoscopes you’ll know that means they’re destined to be born without a conscience; little Ted Bundys with taped glasses and church pants. For no particular reason they start off-ing horny teenagers, then move on to any family members who become suspicious. Bloody Birthday sports a few recognizable faces, including an extended striptease from ex-MTV personality Julie Brown and Elizabeth Hoy (perhaps better known as the little girl John Belushi offers to “buy” during the restaurant sequence in The Blues Brothers) as one of the murderous kids. And even with its flat, unflattering look, the movie has a certain late ‘70s appeal, trying desperately to capture just a little of that leftover Halloween box office mojo. Lead actress Lori Lethin has the Jamie Lee Curtis look, but her scream is strictly TV movie material. What appeal the film has to collectors, besides it relative obscurity, is a plot that puts underage kids in the role of the traditional masked psychopath…something that would be next to impossible to pull off today. And it’s amusing to see how far the film will go before it reigns itself in. Severin Films’ release is exceedingly well done, packaging interviews and A Brief History of Slasher Films along with some awesome box art. Now make a wish and blow out the fingers!