JP Nunez
It’s not often that movies play at the same festival twice, but somehow, The Birthday has managed to do just that. The film had its first festival run about 20 years ago, and it even played at the inaugural Fantastic Fest back in 2005, but it quickly faded into oblivion. Thankfully though, a bootleg version was uploaded to YouTube sometime afterward, and it gained a cult following that included Elijah Wood, Jason Blum, and Jordan Peele.
Since then, The Birthday has slowly been coming back into the public eye, and now, it’s playing at Fantastic Fest once again. It’s a crazy story, so naturally, I just had to check this movie out. I figured if it was good enough for some of the horror world’s heaviest hitters, it would be good enough for me, and now that I’ve finally seen it, I’m happy to report that it’s totally worth the wait.
The Birthday was directed and co-written by Eugenio Mira, and it stars Corey Feldman, Jack Taylor, Erica Pryor, Rick Merrill, Richard Felix, Dale Douma, and Robert Long. In the film, a man named Norman Forrester is attending an extravagant birthday party with his girlfriend, Alison, but nothing seems to be going right for him. Alison almost completely ignores him, her father doesn’t appear to like him, and to top it all off, some people at the party just seem weird.
The poor guy is entirely out of his element, but he soon learns that something even worse than pretentious rich people is afoot. While walking around the place, he inadvertently steps into a Lovecraftian nightmare, and if he doesn’t do his part, the whole world might come to an end that very night.
Right from the get-go, The Birthday had me absolutely hooked. For starters, this is probably the best performance of Corey Feldman’s career. To be fair, I haven’t seen every movie he’s ever made, but I’m pretty sure he’s never been better than he is here. He plays Norman, the lead character, and if you couldn’t see his face, you’d never know it was him.
Norman is a nervous, twitchy, and mumbling sort of man, and when he talks, he sounds exactly like you’d expect from that description. Feldman completely loses himself in the role, and he’s so good you can just about feel the lack of confidence oozing out of every word he says and every move he makes.
Then, when The Birthday goes full-on Lovecraft, Norman changes. In fact, by the time the credits begin to roll, he’s almost a completely different person, and Feldman totally nails it every step of the way. It’s a powerhouse performance all around, and it’s worth the price of admission.
But it’s not the only thing this movie has going for it. Before the horror really kicks into gear, The Birthday has a bit of a surrealist, almost Lynchian feel to it, as something just seems off about the party. Granted, it’s not Eraserhead or Inland Empire weird, but director Eugenio Mira does an excellent job of visually representing Norman’s discomfort at this fancy-pants shindig.
He makes you wonder what could possibly be going on here, and that uncertainty is utterly enthralling. You won’t be able to look away as you wait for the film to reveal its secrets, but you have to be patient. This is a pretty slow burn, so don’t expect any big twists right away. The movie forces you to sit with Norman’s awkward unease for so long you might even start to think that’s the whole story, but trust me, there’s a lot more to it than that.
I obviously can’t tell you what happens next, but I can say that when the Lovecraftian element finally comes to the fore, The Birthday becomes captivating in a whole new way. It’s almost like a totally different film, but it’s just as good. There’s awesome tension and fun action, and the unfolding mystery will keep your eyes glued to the screen until the very end.
What’s more, much like the first part of the movie, the horror here is pretty weird, and as the story goes on, it just gets stranger and stranger. In particular, the final 10-15 minutes or so are probably the most Lynchian stretch of the entire film. You won’t entirely understand everything that’s going on, but the choreography and cinematography are so enchanting it won’t matter.
When all is said and done, you’ll walk out wondering what the hell you just watched, so this movie isn’t for everyone. But if you enjoy that kind of bizarre, semi-surrealist storytelling, you’re going to have a big smile on your face. The Birthday is just as entertaining as it is wild, so I highly recommend that you check it out when you get the chance. In fact, as of this writing, it’s the best film I’ve seen at Fantastic Fest this year.
The Birthday played at Fantastic Fest on September 20, and it’s set to screen again at the festival on September 25. But if you can’t watch it then, don’t fret. The movie will also be shown on October 1 at a one-night 20th-anniversary event in over 20 Alamo Drafthouse locations across the United States, and it’s set to open in select theaters starting October 11. To find out if it’ll be playing near you, check out the film’s official website.
He’s a cornballs without a smidge of self awareness. Only talent Corey has is making us cringe. So keep on playing Corey we need a clown to make us laugh.