Happy Birthday to Me (1981 film)
| Happy Birthday to Me | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | John Saxton |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Miklós Lente |
| Edited by | Debra Karen |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 111 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.5 million—$4.7 million |
| Box office | $10.6 million |
Happy Birthday to Me is a 1981 slasher film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane, Sharon Acker, Frances Hyland, Tracey Bregman, and Lisa Langlois. Set at a New England high school academy, the film follows a series of brutal murders of students who are part of an elite clique in the days leading up to the birthday of one of its members.
A co-production between the United States and Canada, Happy Birthday to Me was filmed in Montreal and upstate New York in 1980.
Happy Birthday to Me was distributed by Columbia Pictures, who invested $4 million in promotional materials. The studio marketed the film for its elaborate murder sequences, billed as "six of the most bizarre murders you will ever see." The film was released in the United States and Canada on May 15, 1981. It received mostly negative reviews from critics and grossed $10.6 million against a $3.5 million budget.