'The Birthday' Review: Lynchian Style Dark Comedy Finally Released After 20 Years

By Romey Norton - February 3, 2025

It’s taken two decades for one of Corey Feldman’s lost roles to get some screen time. But why has this taken so long? In a recent interview with Deadline, the actor discussed why his 2004 Eugenio Mira-helmed film The Birthday is only now getting a release 20 years later. After all this time, does the film live up to fans' expectations? The short answer is, yes!

Brought to life in 4K, the film is a dark comedy in the Lynchian style, which holds well in the genre. Especially as it was made twenty years ago, the film has a wonderfully nostalgic feel and vibe. Written by Mira and Mikel Alvarino, the film also stars Rick Merrill, Dale DoumaJack Taylor, Erica Prior, Richard Felix, and Robert Long.

Set in 1987, The Birthday stars Feldman as Norman Forrester, a pizza restaurant employee who is dating out of his league with well-heeled Alison Fulton (Erica Prior). At her father’s birthday, Norman gets caught up in a doomsday cult conspiracy. That’s right, this party might just be the last one he ever goes to.

The film opens with the statement ‘the most amazing 117 minutes in the life of Norman Forrester’ followed by a man smartening himself up in an elevator heading to a party. The party goes from bad to worse, from sanity to madness. Audiences are drip-fed information, and subtly the story unveils its supernatural secrets. Norman finds a threat to the world and now must stop it, with a rather cooky companion. All while worrying about his maybe pregnant, maybe suffering from cancer, girlfriend.

Corey Feldman is mesmerising in this role. Awkward, quirky, stressed, and full of energy. Shrouded in masculine responsibility, his character is easily likable from the start and you want him to succeed. It’s sad to think that if this movie had come out 20 years ago Fledman’s career could have been completely different. But we won’t go there. We’ll enjoy his commitment to the craft in this compelling role.

Erica Prior gives an honest and sweet performance as Alison and has excellent chemistry with Feldman. Her character comes across as caring, but there is something off about her from the start. Alison doesn’t seem to want Norman at the party held at a hotel her father owns. All he’s trying to do is get her alone for a few minutes but everything is getting in the way. There’s even a wild party by pharmaceutical employees (some of whom know Norman from high school) on a different floor, and the hotel staff is acting strangely around and toward him.

Even with a long runtime of nearly two hours, The Birthday has an excellent pace, with chaos and high stakes throughout. Visually it’s a masterpiece, with bright colours, vibrant costumes, and a mixture of lighting techniques ranging from light wide shots to dim close-ups, all of which help build and shift atmospheres in a moment. The sounding department gets a shoutout, with a brilliant blend of classic horror tropes of creepy orchestral music, mixed with a clean piano instrumental version of Lesley Gore’s It’s My Party constantly played throughout. Not to mention an intense scene towards the end of the film where they heavily use silence with a mix of high-pitch frequency to simulate the experience of Norma’s hearing loss. Paired with the constant twitching of the lights makes for a gripping film sequence.

The ending is unexpected and not predictable; with drama, breakups, fighting, bodies, and more. Norman takes a decent punch to the face, and people die. It’s a wild, wild ride.

Overall, The Birthday is an excellent film that effortlessly blends many genres to create a whacky, whimsical, supernatural comedy-drama. With a strong script, excellent acting, and a bonkers story, this film is a must-watch.

Exclusively on Shudder February 21