Happy Birthday to Me (film)

Happy Birthday to Me is a 1981 Canadian slasher film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, and Lawrence Dane. The plot follows Virginia Wainwright (Anderson), a popular high school senior struggling with repressed trauma and memory loss, who experiences a series of brutal murders surrounding her 18th birthday party.

The film is known for its graphic violence, memorable tagline "Six of her friends are missing. One is dead. And the guest of honor is next," and a twist ending. Happy Birthday to Me was part of a wave of slasher films released in the early 1980s and, despite mixed reviews upon its initial release, has since gained a cult following. The film’s marketing emphasized its shocking content, contributing to its notoriety. While visually gruesome at times, the plot also attempts to delve into themes of trauma, mental health, and the pressure to conform within a social group.