Stars: Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck
Director: George Mihalka
Studios were trying so hard to emulate Halloween and Friday the 13th that they began using any event to set a horror movie around.
Brief synopsis:
Valentine Bluffs is a poor mining town who, ironically, does not celebrate Valentine’s Day. Why? Because of a mining accident 20 years prior. Two supervisors, anxious to get to the annual dance, left the mine before they checked to make sure that all the lines were bled of methane gas. Due to their negligence, there was an explosion that trapped 5 men in the mines. Eventually, the only survivor is rescued. Harry Warden had gone mad from being trapped in the mines and resorted to cannibalism to survive. A year later he escaped from the psychiatric institute and killed the two supervisors, placing their hearts in candy boxes, before he is recaptured. The town banned Valentine’s Day after the murders.
Until this year, when it was decided enough time had passed and it was time to hold another Valentine’s dance. Most everyone is excited, especially the younger miners and their girlfriends. Axel is thrilled to be able to take his girlfriend Sarah to the dance until her ex-boyfriend T.J. shows back up wanting to reunite. The love triangle seemingly takes a back seat to another issue when the dance is cancelled following the death of Mabel, an older woman working on the dance. What the younger generation doesn’t know is that Mabel was murdered and a note was left behind to stop the dance or more people would die. The mayor and sheriff quickly complied.
But the twentysomethings still want to party so they throw an unofficial one at the mine. A big mistake as someone is ready to do anything to stop them…
Spoilers below (you have been warned):
The party starts and everyone is having fun but Sarah, who is tired of Axel and T.J.’s arguing. Wanting a break, she agrees to a trip down into the mines with her friends. Meanwhile, killings start happening all over the place. Eventually, the killer gets down to the mine, making quick work of Sarah’s friends. Eventually Axel falls off a ladder into the mines and T.J. helps Sarah escape. As they make their way out of the mine, they are confronted by a man in a miners’ outfit. T.J. and the miner fight until his mask comes off it is revealed that Axel is the killer. As a child, his father was one of the supervisors that Harry murdered and Axel witnessed it. He was fine until the dance was revived. Axel ends up caught in a collapse and, as the men work to free him, it is discovered that the real Harry Warden died 5 years ago. Eventually, they find Axel’s hand. They discover he had cut off the hand and escaped, vowing to return and make Sarah his bloody valentine.
My thoughts (with spoilers):
A rare adult themed slasher film, My Bloody Valentine focuses on working men and women in a dying mining town. These aren’t cute teenagers at a lake for the summer, these are people trying to survive and make a life for themselves. They have real jobs, real bills, and real worries so it is understandable that they want a little fun for them and their significant other with a dance on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, this simple desire leads to a lot of death and pain.
It's sad that this film did not do better at the box office. The kills are interesting and unique. The death of Mabel is a standout. You do not see much of her death however, the body find is amazing. Mabel is killed in a laundry mat and thrown into one of the dryers. The sheriff and mayor come looking for her and just hear a constant thudding coming from the dryer. They slowly approach and her body pops out of the dryer, burned and unrecognizable. It is wonderfully tense, a mood often missing from lesser slasher films.
The introduction of a believable love triangle is also a refreshing change. Sarah and Axel are dating however, you can tell that she still has feelings for her ex. T.J. left town to pursue a better life and failed, returning with shame to his hometown. He is now ready to settle down with Sarah and just expected her to be waiting. It is simple melodrama but it does work. Especially nice is the moment when she has enough and leaves both men behind at the party. Sure, the triangle is ended once the killer is revealed, Axel was definitely out of the running at that point, but at least it was there to add a little bit of depth to the characters.
It is also nice to have the town authorities do the right thing and shut down the dance as soon as Mabel was murdered. The killer stated what he wanted to prevent any more death and the town complied. It isn’t the authorities fault that an unauthorized dance was planned. The sheriff and mayor are both aware of the danger and react in a proportionate and logical manner. Yes, they probably should have told the people that Mabel was murdered and that was why they were cancelling the dance, but they wanted to avoid a panic. Their first and only concern was the safety of their people, unlike Mayor Vaughn in Jaws.
My Bloody Valentine is an underrated gem that deserves a revival. If you can watch it, watch the unrated version. This is the year that the MPAA really started going censor crazy on horror films and several were cut to ribbons in an attempt to earn a “R” rating. The remake is also worth a watch, especially if you are a fan of the TV show Supernatural and Jensen Ackles. A worthy double feature for a single’s Valentine’s Day party.
Other films from 1981 to check out:
The Great Muppet Caper – The second Muppet movie is a lighthearted romp about jewelry thieves in London. Some great visual effects and believable performance by Charles Grodin as a man in love with Miss Piggy.
The Monster Club – Weird little anthology film starring Vincent Price and John Carradine. Not every story is great but it has some interesting monsters, including one I had never had heard of before called the Shadmock.
Raiders of the Lost Ark – The film that cemented my crush on Harrison Ford. Indiana Jones is an archeologist fighting the Nazis for ancient artifacts and looks exceptionally good while doing it. The adventure is directed perfectly by Steven Spielberg and has another memorable John Williams score.