The nightmare begins with the kids next door.
In 1970, three children are born at the height of a total eclipse. Due to the sun and moon blocking Saturn, which controls emotions, they have become heartless killers ten years later, and are able to escape detection because of their youthful and innocent facades. A boy and his teenage sister become endangered when they stumble onto the bloody truth.
- Harm to children
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Unpretentious, classical in form, earnest and grave.
- unpretentiousprestige
- classical in formformally daring
- earnestironic
- gravecomic
- resolvedopen-ended
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Would a little humor have helped?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is Lori Lethin the best thing in Bloody Birthday?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is it actually scary?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- Wuchakon TMDB · Sep 20226/10
**_Born under a bad sign_** In a Southern Cal town people are dying in curious circumstances with everything pointing to some unlikely culprits. “Bloody Birthday” (1981) mixes the killer kid genre with slasher flick and works well enough. It came out a few years before the “Children of the Corn” series started, but it’s not like there weren’t plenty of predecessors going back to the early 60s. For instance, the Star Trek TV series had two episodes with sinister children, “Miri” and “The Children Shall Lead.” Then there’s “The Brood,” which debuted a couple years earlier. Elizabeth Hoy (Debbie) and Billy Jayne (Curtis) are particularly effective as the diabolical offspring. Meanwhile Julie Brown stands out on the feminine front as Beverly with a memorable scene reminiscent of Tom Cruise in “Risky Business” (1983), if you know what I mean. As far as the protagonist goes, Lori Lethin is winsome as Joyce with her Dorothy Hamill hairdo. There are a couple of memorable scenes, like Timmy locked in the metal cabinet and the junkyard sequence. The movie runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot in Glendale, California, which borders Los Angeles to the north and is east of Burbank. GRADE: B-
Read the whole review on TMDB - tmdb17996075on TMDB · Feb 20177/10
'Bloody Birthday' is one of those movies that surprisingly ages well enough to remain watchable nowadays. Not a masterpiece for sure, but still entertaining and surprisingly enough, it doesn't really have a lot of unintentionally funny scenes. I know it's a shocker if we keep in mind that this is a low budget flick from the early 80s about a group of evil children who kill people. But trust me, the movie manages to remain respectable and watchable for the most part. The story revolves around three children who are born during a a total eclipse. According to astrology, during eclipses, the sun and the moon block Saturn, which controls emotions. As a consequence, the three children who are born that day, eventually become uncaring and evil. Since they don't experience any feelings of remorse whatsoever, these 10-year-old kids gang up against basically everyone who stands in their way, including their own parents and siblings... and kill them! The body count increases day after day and the police authorities believe that there's a psychopath lurking around the place. In the meantime, Debbie, Curtis and Steven, don't hesitate to keep butchering people. I was expecting some hilariously
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- Lori LethinJoyce Russel
- Melinda CordellMrs. Brody
- Julie BrownBeverly Brody
- Susan StrasbergMiss Viola Davis
- José FerrerDoctor
- Joe PennyMr. Harding
- Bert KramerSherriff James Brody
- Elizabeth HoyDebbie Brody
- Billy JayneCurtis Taylor
- K.C. MartelTimmy Russel
Crew
- Ed HuntDirector
- Ed HuntScreenplay
- Barry PearsonScreenplay
- Stephen L. PoseyDirector of Photography
- Arlon OberOriginal Music Composer
- Ann E. MillsEditor
- Gerald T. OlsonProducer
Where to watch
Checking availability…
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
X: The Unknown 195685% alikeBoth classical in form, unpretentious, earnest.
The Return of Doctor X 193985% alikeBoth unpretentious, classical in form, grave.
Shogun Assassin 198085% alikeBoth unpretentious, classical in form, grave.
Maniac Cop 198884% alikeBoth unpretentious, classical in form, grave.
The Burning 198183% alikeBoth unpretentious, classical in form, grave.
Four of the Apocalypse 197583% alikeBoth unpretentious, classical in form, grave.
The Grand Duel 197282% alikeBoth unpretentious, classical in form, grave.
Dead for a Dollar 202281% alikeBoth classical in form, unpretentious, grave.
The Take 200979% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
From Dusk Till Dawn 200179% alikeGame · Both unpretentious, classical in form, plot-driven.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
