It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To

Happy Birthday To Me (1981)

Virginia is having issues.  Bless her.

Who knows what her problem is.  She's attending the elite Crawford Academy, rolling in dosh, been accepted into the fold of the 'Top Ten' super cool posse and living back in the family home which means mum's grave is in touching distance for regular visits.
She should be happy right?

Reality is though her mates are twats (girlfriend swapping and knicker sniffing are rife with this lot), mum's pushing up daisies, dad doesn't understand her angst and since losing half her brain down the local river after an unfortunate accident a few years back, she just hasn't been feeling herself.  To top at all off she's about to turn another year older.  And people wonder where emos come from.

I felt a sense of warm and fuzzy nostaglia on returning to this flick from my yoof.  However I would like to point out it is me who deserves the party as I felt like I'd aged considerably just waiting for the story to unfold, seems I was far more patient as a child.  Virginia's crew are gradually (and I mean gradually) getting picked off one by one for reasons unknown (although for the most part nobody seems to give a toss) but there is far too much poxyfiller going on between death scenes making it all.....very.....slow......zzzz. 

I think I'm probably eligible for my pension by this point.

Virginia's flashbacks to her accident and experimental brain surgery provide a dark glimpse of macabre but these were few and far between and I was left wanting more.  How this movie landed an original R rating I do not know. The film has some interesting concepts and plot twists toward the latter stages but early attempts to build suspense fall flat.   Unfortunately the gristly backbone of the story is crammed into the last climactic 20 minutes or so where all is revealed to why Ginny is really being such a mardy arse when she should be celebrating.  Blame Canada, it was filmed there after all.

Saying all that you gotta hand it to Melissa Sue Anderson playing the role of Virginia.  Going from Little House on the Prairie to this, good job girl.  She was even nominated for a Young Artist Award for the role, go figure.  Veteran Glenn Ford also stars as Ginny's much needed shrink.  Plus it has an all time great 'death by shish kebab' scene.

Whoever said meat is murder, clearly was bang on.