Veteran director J. Lee Thompson was unusually fond of stepping into the gutter once in a while, so this gory slasher-flick wasn't just a case of an esteemed filmmaker cashing a paycheck. Thompson gets good work from top-billed Melissa Sue Anderson as a traumatized teen who may or may not be responsible for the elaborate slayings of several of her classmates at an elite academy--but the picture goes on and on for a seat-numbing 110 minutes, and one good performance isn't enough to carry the load. The screenplay by John Saxton, Peter Jobin and Timothy Bond, from Saxton's original story, appears to have been worked over many times by too many writers, and the whole bloody mess collapses under the weight of throat slashings, false scares, brain surgery and a double-twist ending that makes no sense. Glenn Ford's obtuse role as Anderson's doctor is also a puzzler--but no matter, he's trashed right along with most of the cast. Canadian-made thriller has very few thrills, however cinematographer Miklos Lente gives the final scenes an eerie sheen and Thompson stages a suspenseful game of chicken near the beginning. *1/2 from ****
Review of Happy Birthday to Me
