Unhappy Birthday

2011
4| 1h29m| en
Details

Set in and around the remote tidal island of Amen, Unhappy Birthday is the fictional story of three outsiders' battles against the twisted morals of an antiquated community. Inspired by British cult classics such as The Wicker Man and Hammer House of Horror, the film explores the fear of isolation and nature versus nature. A special birthday party becomes a living nightmare for City-dwelling couple Sadie and Rick and their friend Johnny. They visit Corinne, an enigmatic local on the island of Amen, which is accessible only by invite and seemingly impossible to get off. A mysterious family connection with Corinne brings horrific consequences as they find themselves trapped by the tide and at the mercy of the island's wild nature.

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Unhappy Birthday Productions

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Also starring Jonathan Keane

Reviews

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.
UnowPriceless hyped garbage
Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Patrick James I did not manage to sit through the whole film. I don't know how anyone could.This is truly one terrible film. The direction and editing are all truly awful. Whoever edited this film has on idea about timing or what kind of duration is appropriate for shots. The camera work is rubbish.There is no sense of suspense. Visual clichés are everywhere and are badly executed. The dialogue is badly recorded and the soundtrack is full of relentless clichéd tension building sound which does not build tension at all. Even the costumes are awful. One character wears an outfit which is so hideous to look at that I wanted to stop watching it on for that reason alone.I don't know what happens a the end and I don't care. Some say it is like the Wicker Man. Well the original 1973 Wicker Man is a great film, so if you are considering watching this, do not, watch the 1973 Wicker Man instead.
Ben Larson A low budget film like this gets reviews all over the map, but even great films have critics that didn't like them. The Kid With a Bike got reviews in the papers of 2, 3, 4, and 5 stars. You wonder if they are watching the same movie.This is a first effort for writer/directors Mark Harriott and Mike Matthews. They evidently worked hard to present a film with an atmosphere that is really creepy. The music and sound really matched the scenes and keep the tension high.The sexual scenes are intense, both heterosexual and homosexual, as Rick (David Paisley) brings his boyfriend Johnny (Jonathan Keane) along with his girlfriend Sadie (Christina De Vallee).It had a strange, but no unexpected ending that really drove the insanity home.The acting was very good, and it was a compelling story.
michaelarmstrong-armstro Words fail me. This review will not seem to bear any resemblance to the 10 star reviews above; subjective as the world is, this truly was one of the worst films I've had the misfortune to sit through. Are they acting we asked? Is it irony, we wondered? Was it improvisation? No, it is none of these. Hammy acting, a series of unconnected scenes with a 40 minute lead up to nothing and a hideous stereotyped gay man coming across like a mix of that horrid character from Gimme Gimme Gimme and Ian Beale. What I would say is that some of the time lapse photography ain't bad - what I'd also add is if the director (was there one?) wanted to avoid make up on the 'actors', natural as that may be flattering it certainly ain't! Avoid.
preppy-3 Couple Rick (David Paisley) and Sadie (Christina De Valles) are going to the island of Amen for her birthday. They are joined by Rick's best friend (and secret boyfriend) Jonny (Jonathan Keane). They have a surprise for Sadie on the island but, when they get there, things go from bad to worse and their lives are in danger.This movie is far from perfect. The ultra low budget shows in the threadbare sets and some of the plot is left unanswered--like does Sadie know that Rick and Jonny are lovers? Also the slow pace works against it at times. Still this is worth seeing. It starts off with a feeling of dread with eerie music playing on the soundtrack and never stops. Also the acting is good across the board--something you usually don't find in any horror film. I also like that the movie has a gay male couple and doesn't shy away from showing them have sex. There's also some female nudity but more male nudity. Keane and Paisley have a pretty explicit sex scene and later on we see them washing each other off with a glimpse of full frontal from Paisley. I didn't see the ending coming at all and it's disturbing and bloody--as it should be. So--no great movie but worth catching.