BLOODY BIRTHDAY

(A.k.a. CREEPS; ANGST)

1970, the small Californian town of Meadowvale. Three babies are born simultaneously during a total eclipse.

Ten years later, a couple are making out in the local graveyard when they're attacked by an unseen assailant brandishing a shovel and - bizarrely - a skipping rope. Their deaths are brutal; local sheriff James (Bert Kramer) presents the rope the next day to a class at the town's school, hoping someone will recognise it. Although there are no takers, the glances between young Debbie (Elizabeth Hoy), Curtis (Billy Jacoby) and Steven (Andy Freeman) suggest they are less than innocent.

Indeed, these three share their imminent 10th birthday and it soon becomes apparent to the viewer that they're behind the killing spree about to ensue.

When they're not butchering local people who piss them off - Debbie's favourite toys are a bow-and-arrow and the aforementioned skipping rope; Curtis favours a handgun; Steven is handy with a kitchen knife - they can be found either in Debbie's house, spying through a peephole at her older sister Beverly (Julie Brown) dancing naked or making out with her boyfriend, or bullying suspicious young Timmy (K C Martel).

Timmy's big sister Joyce (Lori Lethin) starts to suspect that something's wrong too. When the body count rises and no-one knows who's responsible she raises the alarm at the kids' joint birthday party, only to have her claims - she has reason to believe Curtis has poisoned the celebratory cake - rubbished and her story subsequently buried.

Which leaves her and Timmy vulnerable as the trio of kids with no conscience decide they must be next to die...

Frequently labelled as a slasher film, BLOODY BIRTHDAY qualifies more from its year of production (1980) than its content. It's a lot more accurate to lump it in with the 'evil kid' sub-genre which is also home to everything from BAD SEED and DEVIL TIMES FIVE, to VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED and THE CHILDREN.

Slasher fans may find the film relatively bloodless, in fact. But what it lacks in outright grisliness it makes up for with a good pace, above-average performances (watch out for cameos from the likes of Jose Ferrer and a young Michael Dudikoff) and a keen sense of escalating tension on director Ed Hunt's part.

Oh, there are boobies too.

The film plays well with its simple, implausible concept and succeeds thanks to a combination of keenly shot set-pieces, often wry dialogue and a truly likeable lead in the form of Lethin.

Having amassed a small but loyal cult following over the years, BLOODY BIRTHDAY is an unusual film. I doubt it appears on many people's 'favourite films' list, or even features in many 'best horrors of the 80s' countdowns. But it's competent and amiable enough to transcend its apparent low budget and entertain in a manner that will have you remembering this little film unintentionally days after viewing it.

That's a good thing.

88 Films bring BLOODY BIRTHDAY to UK blu-ray in its fully uncut version, presenting the film in 1080p HD as an MPEG4-AVC file.

Correctly framed at its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the picture is enhanced for 16x9 televisions and looks good. The print used is very clean, detail is fine and colours appear natural throughout. There is minor softness in some scenes, but this seems inherent of the era in which it was shot.

The opening scenes are darker and grainier than what follows. Sit tight because once the first double-murder set-piece is over, things get a lot better. Daytime exterior scenes, in particular, tend to look great. It's a bright, vibrant picture that easily stands as the best the film has looked so far.

Lossless PCM English mono is clean and reasonably clear throughout. This track does undeniably sound aged, despite a satisfying lack of pop or hiss and nice channel separation.

The disc opens to an animated main menu page. From there, pop-up menus include a scene selection menu allowing access to the film via 16 chapters.

Bonus features begin with an audio commentary track from "Teenage Wasteland" author Justin Kerswell, proffering a light but informative chat. Despite occasional instance of under-preparation (forgetting actors' names etc), this does manage to be both engaging and comprehensive (discussing the cast; pointing out nods to HALLOWEEN; placing the film contextually within the timeline of the slasher boom; debating its chequered release history, and so on.

An audio interview (minus interviewer) with Hunt follows, playing over the film's first 50 minutes commentary-style. It's a little monotonous to be honest, but is good to have here regardless.

"A Brief History of Slasher Movies" is Severin Films' 15-minute documentary from 2011. It sees Adam Rockoff, author of 'Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film' whizzing through the genre's infamous evolution from PSYCHO, through the likes of GRADUATION DAY and FRIDAY THE 13TH, right up to recent "re-imaginings" of fare like HALLOWEEN and MY BLOODY VALENTINE. It's too brisk to offer any insight to a fan, of course, but offers a mild diversion nevertheless.

Much better is a 9-minute onscreen interview with Lethin. She speaks of how her career started with a small role in TV's 'Charlie's Angels' - and speaks of famous actresses having tantrums on-set - before discussing how she got the gig on BLOODY BIRTHDAY and looking back on the shoot with fondness.

The film's original 2-minute trailer looks good in HD. You'll note that the footage of the first murder sequence also looks rougher than everything else in the trailer. We also get trailers for BLOODSUCKING FREAKS, TOURIST TRAP and TWO MOON JUNCTION.

Also available as part of this set but unavailable for review purposes are a collectors' booklet and reversible cover art.

BLOODY BIRTHDAY gets a very good blu-ray release from 88 Films. It's worth noting, however, that Severin Films are also releasing it in HD very soon, and we hopefully will be able to bring you a review of that version too.

Review by Stuart Willis