Meurtres à la St-Valentin

Quentin Tarantino has called this his all-time favorite slasher film, and it's one I'd never seen, so I went into this with fairly high expectation. Unfortunately, this film still pales when compared to John Carpenters "Halloween" or William Lustig's "Maniac." Still, it's well made and does stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the better slasher films of the 70s and 80s; "The Town that Dreaded Sundown," "The Burning," "Sleepaway Camp," "Black Christmas," and such. The story involves a coal mining town where a maniac wearing mining gear kills hapless victim with a pickax, boiling water, shower head nozzles, and other implements that all prove deadly. The film does have a decent who-done-it mystery element to it and when the mystery is revealed at the end it's not a copout and is satisfyingly done, which is a rarity for most slasher films. Overall, I wouldn't say "My Bloody Valentine" is a classic, but it is a must see for slasher film fans.

Twenty years ago, Harry Warden went nuts and slaughtered a bunch of people on Valentine's Day. The mining town he hailed from canceled subsequent V-Day dances, but when they try setting one up again, Warden seemingly returns with his pickax, ready to hack the local kids up and leave his mark. Things can only go bad from here.

Director George Mihalka brings us another holiday-themed slasher, riding the success of "Black Christmas", "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th"... and paving the way for "April Fools Day". But George is a nice guy and I don't want to say he's just one among the crowd. There were hundreds of 80s slashers, but only a few stand out today. "Bloody Valentine" is, of course, one of them.

Even in its original, neutered glory (anywhere from three to nine minutes were cut) the film stands as a good film. Without any really notable actors or actresses (okay, so Neil Affleck had a brief role in "Scanners"), and being Mihalka's one big mark, the film carries itself on story, acting and blood. The blood, while lacking a times, comes gushing through in others. And like any good slasher, the killer's identity is not revealed until the end... leaving us guessing until the last twist of the knife (or ax).

Slasher fans need to pick up the Lions Gate special edition. While the double-disc with "April Fools Day" is cheap and still worth watching, you don't really know this film until you've seen it uncut. The gore, oh my, the gore! It's actually a shame that it took so long for a company to come along and save this film because it was even better than we once assumed... Mihalka could have been one of the 80s greats (and, in my mind, he still is).

If you've been a horror fan and avoided this one, please see it. Sure, it's mostly mindless fun -- kids drinking and making out, getting hacked up -- but I can watch variations of this formula dozens, scores or hundreds of times. There's something fun about a simple stalking film that you can't always get from other films that try too hard to be clever. And I like thinking films, but a night with buddies and booze... you need a slasher. And this is the one you should pick.

My Bloody Valentine is one of the best and most well-made slasher flicks of the 80's. It's also one of the better holiday themed horror movies around!

A crazed miner is determined to stop the celebration of Valentine's day in a small Nova Scotia town, with the help of a trusty pick ax that is.

* minor (or miner, I'm not funny.) spoilers *

While the film doesn't re-invent the wheel for slasher movies, it still manages to stand out well from the rest of it's kind. The climax in the mine creates some great suspense in an atmospheric and claustrophobic setting. The cast is quite likable and good, even though there's not a known name in sight. And the gore hounds should enjoy the happenings, cutting out hearts and pick ax murders, even a nasty death-by-dryer and a face scalded in a boiling pot. It's still gory despite cuts made by the MPAA. There's also the occasional touch of colorful dark humor.

The direction, while simple, is well done with some good shock cuts. The music score is a nicely moody one, even beautiful in a way. Over all, the film holds together well.

Seek it out slasher fans! This is one enjoyable cult film that is not to be missed!

*** out of ****

More than just a guilty pleasure -- this one's actually good!

By the time 1981 had rolled around, the horror genre had gained much momentum with holiday-themed slasher flicks such as "Halloween" and "Friday The 13th." Never ones to shy away from a good cash-cow, Paramount (the same company to bring you "Friday The 13th") hired George Mihalka to direct the Valentine's Day themed "My Bloody Valentine." Pre-dating much of the camp and excess of the 80's, "My Bloody Valentine" is a pretty innocent film in it's own right, a glimpse into a time before the genre was completely saturated with masked killers and dumbed-down teenagers. It's simply a well-paced, well-oiled little horror movie. It's got a surprising amount of suspense, matched only by the outrageous and often over-the-top visual effects which -- thanks to a newly restored print of the film on DVD -- have finally seen the light of day.

With his film, Mihalka injects a good dosage of suspense, as well as some subtle stylishness. The grimy and grungy setting -- a dumpy mining town in Canada -- gives the film an unmistakably realistic look and feel, which only helps to drive home the authenticity. Sure, the film has it's fair share of clichés; in fact, some of the dialogue and plot-points appear to be ripped straight out of the original "Friday The 13th." The story of a deranged killer returning home years later to exact his revenge on a town is hardly re-inventing the wheel. But when stacked up against it's competition, "My Bloody Valentine" holds it's own. It's one of the few films from the much maligned (and yet, enjoyable) era to actually hold up to today's standards (for the most part). Truth be told, even if you are viewing the heavily edited theatrical cut, the film works just as well without the heavy special effects, which is a testament to the overall quality of a film that was conceived, created and released in under half a year's time.

Sure, it's got it's flaws, but nothing fatal. If you can stomach bad characters, even worse actors and a few clichés here and there, it's a pretty satisfying experience. At the very least, it pre-dates a lot of more successful films and has had a subtle influence on the genre as a whole. Fans of the genre should be aware of it not just as a fun way to kill time -- which it is -- but also as a perfect example of a slasher done right. With a remake currently in theaters and a DVD that treats the film right, "My Bloody Valentine" is finally having it's day in the sun. Even if you've "seen it all," you'll still have a good time with it.

My Bloody Valentine - Special Edition

A slasher classic with an energetic cast. They did a pretty good job concealing the identity of the killer.

Paramount Pictures wasted a huge franchise potential by not follow-up more sequels for this film.