My Bloody Valentine (1981)

The small mining town of Valentine Bluffs hasn’t celebrated Valentine’s Day in 20 years.  Back then there was an accident that claimed the lives of several miners and drove the one survivor crazy.  He came back the following year, after escaping a mental hospital and killed those he felt were responsible for the accident.  His name was Harry Warden, and because of him Valentine Bluffs no longer celebrates Valentine’s Day.  When the town decides to bring back the parties and traditional dance the killings start again.  Each killing accompanied with a warning that the town shouldn’t celebrate.  Has Harry Warden returned to Valentine Bluffs?  When some of the locals defy the sheriff and have a party out at the old mine the body count rises as they struggle to survive the mysterious killer in the miner’s gear. 

I distinctly remember reading about this movie in Fangoria back in the day.  I remember thinking that this was going to up the ante again after the killer effects from Friday the 13th.  When I finally got to see it on video I was more than a little disappointed.  As most fans know the movie was hacked to pieces (nice pun right?) by the censors, who really neutered all the great gore that was promised in those early pictures and articles.  But the funny thing was as cut up as the movie was I still really liked it.  It was a genuinely scary slasher movie with a memorable character that at the time was every bit as iconic as Jason.  That might seem like a bold statement, but remember Jason was still a pretty new character and the iconic hockey mask had just recently made it’s first appearance (note: I saw this movie on video in 83 or 84).  The story is solid and provides such a great background for the killer.  I love the characters and unlike many of the Fridays after part 2 their deaths were kind of sad.  Lets be honest in most slashers the killer is just offing annoying teenage stereotypes anyway.  My favorite character is Hollis, played by Keith Knight.  In addition to being a great character he also has one of the better death scenes in any slasher flick I’ve ever seen.  Unfortunately I just found out while researching this review that he died a couple of years ago at the young age of 51. 

The one thing that that My Bloody Valentine always lacked for me was gore, which has now been rectified.  The newest DVD of the movie that was recently released by Lions Gate has restored some of the great effects that were cut by the censors almost 30 years ago.  Notice I said some; apparently there are a few effects that have been lost forever.  But what we do get back is the killer shower head kill, a nice pick thru the face scene, and a self amputation, just to name a few.  Really as much as I’ve always loved this movie it is so much better with the gore added back in.  I also have to say that the setting of the mine is pure genius.  It has a creepy claustrophobic quality that works perfectly for a slasher movie and is photographed perfectly to emphasize the setting.  The mine setting also then lends itself to the design of the killer.  As I’ve already stated I think the character had the potential to be every bit as iconic as Jason.  Hell I would even say if the movie hadn’t been so cut up on it initial release Harry Warden might be every bit the pop culture icon that Jason is! 

The new DVD not only includes the restored gore footage, but also has a great documentary on it called Bloodlust My Bloody Valentine and the Rise of the Slasher.  It is filled with interviews of most of the surviving cast, as well as the director and producers.  If you ever wanted to know how the idea came about, or any of the challenges faced by the filmmakers then this is the documentary for you.  I was disappointed that they decided to use the last segment of the documentary to promote the upcoming 3D remake of My Bloody Valentine, but that is honestly just a minor complaint. 

Bottom line here is that for all my love of the movie this is the first time that I’ve ever seen it as it was intended to be seen.  The gore only makes the movie an even stronger entry to the slasher genre and in my opinion takes a nearly perfect movie and makes it even better.  My Bloody Valentine is a classic movie that I highly recommend to any and all fans of the slasher genre. 

4 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer

© Copyright 2009 John Shatzer