Unhappy Birthday (2011) User Reviews

Disappointing

[ansell-72879 · 3/10 · 24 October 2021]

Unhappy Birthday goes under the title Amen Island in Australia. Call it what you like, it is really, not very good. It is a UK production and is sort of experimental but definitely low, very low, budget.

Lots of handheld camera work, gratuitously sexually explicit in parts, random close ups of sheep and other oddities, awkward dialogue delivery, awkward acting and a very large unacknowledged indebtedness to The Wicker Man - and then there are the problems with the film.

Directors and writers Mark Harriott and Mike Matthews have experience in other areas of film making but this is their first stab at the steering of a production. There is a big jump between costuming and directing and both fall a bit short.

There is little sense of building tension or suspense. In fact, at times, there is little sense of coherence.

Cinematography is by Mark Hammond who has lots of experience in related areas but again stumbles a little. He seems compelled to use every cinematic technique in every scene which becomes quite unsettling for the viewer. On their own there are some fine moments but collectively they are a jumble.

The plot belts along at a breakneck pace. There is an incredible i.e. Unbelievable degree of acceptance and accommodation by the cast as things develop.

The film should be characterized by a rural, Gothic, folk horror sensitivity. It's not.

The climax and denouement, the tying together of loose plot threads, are hysterical, not in the funny sense but in the excessive sense.

I watched it expecting a homage to The Wicker Man. I was disappointed.

Low rent Wicker Man with homoerotic angle

[ApolloBoy109 · 2/10 · 2 November 2012]

As we all know in order for most run-of-the-mill horror films to work the characters have to behave unbelievably stupid. They have to make foolish decisions to advance the agenda of the writer.

This film takes that meme to new heights of dumbness. Cribbed from The Wicker Man and mixed with the homoerotic earmarks of a David DeCoteau film, Unhappy Birthday fails to raise interest.

The man-on-man sex scenes, I suppose, are to shock and divert us from the failures of the script. And while the scenes were titillating, actors David Paisley and Jonathan are attractive and capable enough actors, the well-worn story is so painfully predictable. The feeble reason why they come to the island and the ending itself do not add up.

We know instantly they are in trouble. They do not. We know who is going to be the whack-job instantly. They do not. It's hard to root for people who are mindlessly being lead into a trap.

Lastly, the lead actress is neither convincing, attractive enough or engaging. The three-way scene between the leads exists only to add running time to this poor film.

Dirge

[michaelarmstrong-armstro · 1/10 · 9 February 2012]

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.

My sister. My beautiful pregnant sister.

[lastliberal-853-253708 · 12 March 2012]

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.

Truly Awful

[pj-bus · 1/10 · 10 May 2014]

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.

Not a great movie but a very good one

[preppy-3 · 6/10 · 2 December 2011]

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.

Don't believe the un-hype!

[brilil · 10/10 · 28 October 2011]

It is extremely perplexing to me that a film as good as "Unhappy Birthday" could possibly be running a 2.4 rating on this site. Huh? I personally think it's one of the best small-budget horror films of the last 10 years-- dread-filled, well acted, and beautifully shot. I just watched it last night on On Demand and was blown away.

The only thing I can think of that might explain the low rating is that there is a very frank sexuality to the film, both hetero and homosexual. Maybe that was too much for some folk? For me, it is the rare film where sex is an integral part to the overall story and characters, not just thrown in for titillation (and easier distribution).

Otherwise, I am at a loss as this is a perfectly awesome little gem of a horror film that is really affecting and haunting.

I wanted a happy ending...

[keith-712-383468 · 7/10 · 26 February 2012]

Not a great movie, but it's certainly not as bad as so many make it out to be, IMHO. I've seen much worse with higher ratings. It kept my interest, and, as much as I found myself vacillating between liking/disliking the main characters, I really wanted different fates for them. As for the enigmatic Corinne: I think she needed a good long walk on the mud flats or maybe a short pier.

Didn't like all the slow motion, the fast motion, etc. I think the film's color palette worked well, but I really am tired of the artsy use of jump cuts and sunsettings in five seconds.

The original THE WICKERMAN is probably the closest "family member" to this film, but it has some interesting 1950s/60s Brit sci-fi elements (I'm thinking John Wyndham here) in the villagers' hoodies and some of the reasons they do what they do.

This is a slow-moving, dread-filled movie, and there is some head-scratching sequences, but I'm all for scratching my head if the mood is right.

sublime and intensely creepy

[clabkeloh · 10/10 · 7 February 2012]

okay...the plot summary above is weirdly off on the plot points and unhelpful. The PR copy on the DVD compares this film to both "Wickerman" and "Let's scare Jessica to Death". I thought 'how is that possible?'...Guess what? . . This film is a wonderful, strange mash-up of just EXACTLY those sorts of things! The acting is truly good, especially for such a low budget effort. The photography is very nice, and the stylistic and editing choices are nearly brilliant. The gore is very low key and contained but the creeping dread and superb building of suspense make it all the more shocking when it happens. The story is about a young woman and two men in a strange (but all too believable triangle relationship) who are drawn to an isolated tidal island--hence no one being able to leave while the tide is in. The group comes seeking to meet the woman's long-lost sister who appears to be part of strange religious community that dominates the island. Sexual ambiguity and the woman's new pregnancy bring extraordinary tension into the fragile 3- way. While on the island the sinister cult community becomes more and more menacing. From here the movies goes from merely 'moody' to terrifyingly CRAZY so simply and so deftly you just have to see it. In all... a stunning and beautiful effort in small/independent film making and a great little horror-movie.

Slow paced but well worth the wait

[seriousangel2 · 10/10 · 2 November 2011]

I am not going to write a very long review but, what I am going to write is that while it is indeed a strange movie the acting is above par. and the camera work is beautifully done. The movie comes off as professional and not cheesy. I gave it a 10 because it was well worth my time spent viewing it. but you have to be of the mind that does not have to be satisfied very quickly, some adults are like children and must have the pay-off right then and there and cannot wait this is not a movie for those of that mind set.

This movie is slow paced and builds to the end which I did not expect.I was slowly drawn into the movie by the clever writing and great acting. I forgot I was watching a movie at some point and felt more like a voyeuristic peeping tom watching some persons personal tragedy unfolding before my eyes.

The longest, most unpleasant "Twilight Zone" episode ever

[showtrmp · 14 January 2012]

This movie is stylishly made and definitely pulls you along, helped mainly by Jill Riddiford's performance as the pious and grandmotherly Corinne. Riddiford keeps you guessing until the very end whether she is unhinged or just childlike and pitiable. That said, this is also one of those thrillers where the characters have to make all the wrong (and increasingly stupid) decisions in order to keep the (ridiculous) plot going. By the end, I knew I was supposed to feel the horrible moral ugliness of the deranged religious fundamentalism espoused on "the island", but all I saw was a series of gruesome hate crimes (with the gay guy, of course, getting it the worst). It's been done before--and with less obvious sadistic relish.