This is truly a bad movie, it is 100% un-scary, I don't know how anyone could actually like this for what it tries to be because it fails miserably. Now, it is actually pretty entertaining, and I did, shockingly enjoy watching it, it really kept my attention, but I definitely annoyed sometimes and wanting to punch the girl in the face. I did not go enjoy it because it is "good", but because it is a big fat train wreck. It is hilariously bad, and I don't say that about many films.
Yes, this is found footage, and I have watched, I don't know how many found footage films, so I am not biased against them. The over the top scenery chewing acting from the lead female, she takes histrionics to a whole new level!!! In contrast, the cardboard from her boyfriend, in example, the scene in the last 15 minutes of the film with him expressing his concerns to his friend is laughably bad. There is some weird editing for a found footage movie, fade outs, which is a little strange, but that's neither here nor there. The cinematography is good for found footage, though some people, as noted in some reviews, hate the bits with the vertical recording on the cell phone. It is found footage, so if that's how a person recorded it, that is what it would be, I record stuff like that sometimes, it happens. Mostly the sound is good, I suppose it is realistic, in that when characters are close to a camera, it is loud, and when they are far away, it is quiet, but that is where the compliments end.
The whole concept is interesting, and it on it's face value it has a lot going for it, in concept. This could have been a spooky movie that explores guilt, but instead it turns into a bizarre movie filled with borderline incoherent ramblings from a spoiled brat who killed her sister and insist on throwing parties for her every single year. Again, this could have been a good story, but the script is really really bad, if it was largely improvised like most found footage, they should have taken more takes. The lead actress also cannot cry, she can only make crying sounds, which makes this movie all the more hilarious. If she is improvising, and I think so, she is extremely bad at it, she just constantly yells "What the F***", and screams and shouts incoherently.
Honestly, this is probably the worst best found footage film I've scene. I've watched a lot, and none of them so far have been as laughably stupid and bad as "Happy Birthday Hannah".
God Bless ~Amy
