Meurtres à la Saint-Valentin

In the mining town of Harmony, there is an accident caused by the son of the owner Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles) during a drilling, and the mine collapses burying six miners alive. The rescue team finds only Harry Warden alive but in coma and the other miners murdered punched by his pickax, and they conclude that Harry killed them to save oxygen for himself. On the Valentine's Day, Harry awakes from the coma in the local hospital, and he kills twenty-two persons, including a group of teenagers that are partying in the mine. Harry is killed by the deputy but the only survivors are Tom Hanniger, his girlfriend Sarah (Jaime King), their friend Axel Palmer (Kerr Smith) and another girl. Ten years later, Tom returns to Harmony after the death of his father decided to sell the Hanniger Mine, and finds that Sarah has married Axel, now the local sheriff, and they have a son. On the Valentine's Day, Harry Warden also returns seeking revenge against those that had escaped from his pickax in the past, and Tom is accused by Axel and other locals.

The slasher "My Bloody Valentine" is an entertaining collection of clichés that keeps tension until the last scene despite being predictable. The greatest attraction of this forgettable feature seems to be the effects of 3D in movie theaters. I have watched at home on DVD and I had lots of fun with the silly and manipulative plot. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Dia dos Namorados Macabro" ("Macabre Valentine's Day")

A movie titled My Bloody Valentine is clearly non trying to pander to art house crowds, nor does it even seem to be reaching for a higher ilk in the horror genre, but while appearing as a fully tacky horror movie entry (a 3-D remake) My Bloody Valentine succeeds in avoiding and ultimately reviving the never ending pitfalls of such films; a strong, unique opening and a surprising and completely plausible, non-ridiculous finale.

Unfortunately the movie is not as strong as its bookend acts, but it is certainly gory, fun, terrifying, tense and nothing but entertaining. (And yes, there is also nudity). The use of the trademark, in your face, 3-D tactics is mostly restrained, although it seems that director Patrick Lussier (who has mostly been in horror movie limbo since he directed Dracula 2000) could not avoid the intermittent pickaxe to the screen. The performances are actually quite strong, and while this is becoming more the norm in horror films, MBV even forgoes the smart-alecky, prankster character which removes the propensity for us to be taken out of the film.

The unique opening is actually a three-tier start. Flashing newsreels reveal that the collapse of the Hanniger Mine in a small town which claimed the lives of 6 miners (Or was it something else that killed the men?). Awakening from a comma years later, the sole survivor of the cave-in, Harry Warden, picks up where he left off, slaying dozens before being killed himself concluding what the town dubbed the Valentines Day Massacre. But all is not what it seems, as 10 years later Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), a near-victim of Warden, returns to the small town to sell the mine but the killings suspiciously begin once again and it is up to Tom to clear his name.

My Bloody Valentine is a full-fledged throwback to the golden age of slasher films, like Friday the 13th (and is ironically better then the Friday remake this year) and never for a single second tries to be anything it's not and in doing so, it ultimately becomes something it shouldn't be; fun.

6.5 / 10.0

Read all my reviews at: simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com

My Bloody Valentine 3-D (2009)

*** (out of 4)

Remake of the 1981 slasher has a maniac minor killing twenty-two people but ten years later more bodies start to pile up. Is it a copycat killer or has the original come back for more revenge? I'll start off by saying that I'm not a big fan of the original and I'll go even further by saying this one here, story wise, isn't that good. It's more like a two-and-a-half star movie thanks to its throwback to the 80's slashers but the 3-D effects are what really makes it worth seeing. The story has some logical issues to say the least and this includes the identity of the killer, which is pretty impossible considering what you've seen throughout the film. With that said, the movie certainly goes all out in terms of violence and gore. I was pleasantly shocked at how gory this thing was as we get all sorts of graphic killings ranging from picks through the eyes, necks, heads, decapitations and much much more. The red stuff is constantly flowing so I'm sure gore hands are going to be very happy. The film also goes back a few decades in terms of nudity because there's some full frontal female nudity, which we haven't seen in a horror film in a very long time. It seems a lot of slashers today play it safe but that's certainly not the case here. The film goes all out and that includes the 3-D effects. The "Real3D" process is certainly the greatest I've seen and I'm sure others will be very impressed. There are a couple classic scenes with various objects floating at you with one of the best early on when the killer throws his weapon towards the camera. Thankfully the director knew these effects would be the main draw here and he constantly keeps the stuff coming at the screen. Unlike many 3-D movies there's nothing here done for comic relief as the film uses the effects to show off the gore and violence. We get some smaller stuff like one character spitting at the camera but for the most part it's murder and mayhem. The performances are what you'd expect from a film like this but it was great fun seeing Tom Atkins in the cast. Many horror buffs will know him from films like Halloween 3 but it's nice to see him here. In the end, the film certainly doesn't stand out as a classic but you know what to expect when you walk into this. The movie isn't a total success but there are certain things horror and 3-D fans want and this film delivers them.

My Bloody Valentine 3d is a remake from an old Canadian horror film. It's also a throwback to the maniac serial killer/slasher genre from the seventies/eighties but with some modern touches. First of all, I'm not sure it would have been made and released without the 3d gimmick. I watched it home with standard 3d glasses and the 3d effects were fairly good especially the fences and pickaxes. The only problem of course being that the colors are not as nice as the 2d version also available on the DVD/Blu-Ray. With that out of the way, it's a pretty standard slasher, with a deranged miner with costume and gas mask as the protagonist, but it starts the carnage very quickly without much of a buildup except for some kind of story recap background as if it was a direct sequel (it's not). After a few slaughters, it's 10 years later. That was pretty bold and cool. As you might expect, killings start happening again after an old survivor from the first incident comes back to town.

It's never really scary because things happen so fast and because a guy in a miner suit just isn't that horrifying. The appeal comes from the surprise apparitions of the killer, the attempts at escaping and the original gruesome dispatches by the maniac miner mostly with his pick axe and shovel. I suppose it also comes from a very long sequence of a young woman in full-frontal nudity trying to escape the killer. As a side note, most of the story doesn't take place in mines nor is the movie claustrophobic. I enjoyed the mystery of who the maniac guy behind the mask was as it was well presented with a few false leads and likely suspects being offed gradually. However, no clear motivation was offered for the maniac. The ending with the trio (not telling who) was also strong and dramatic. The acting was OK in a TV-quality kind of way, mostly sober although some of the old guys seemed a bit weak. I think the directing was modern and dynamic with good cuts, in more ways than one ;-) So this film is a little above average in the retro slasher genre. It would make a good rental especially with 3d glasses and a few friends.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Based on original film directed by George Mihalka , it was a real success in the American cinemas and all around the world . This horror film provides great load of screams , grisly killings and creepy atmosphere which becomes pretty sinister with the miner killer appearing . This bizarre little horror movie is set in a mining town , on Valentine an explosion of methane gas took the lives of a group of coal miners working in the Hanniger Mine . Long time after, Tom Hanniger ( Jensen Ackles ) returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine's night massacre that claimed the lives of 22 people , male as well female . But Tom finds himself suspected of committing some new killings , and it seems like his old flame (Jaime King) nowadays married to county sheriff ( Kerr Smith ) is the only one will believe he isn't guilty . Later on , a blood-soaked heart arrives at the police station , accompanied by an ominous message. And several people is cruelly murdered , one of then with a signal putting : ¨Be mine forever ¨ .

The picture is a sleek production with average budget and packs genuine chills , suspense , tension , and shocks , it's a terror-thriller very exciting . Gory, gruesome , pretty repellent , ghastly and unrelenting shock-feast laced with a loving triangle . The film is paced with intelligent edition , special use of color and slick utilization of shock images that take place in the astonishing close-up crimes committed by means of a pickax . This frightening movie displays terror , shocks , hard-edged scenes , creepy images and abundant nudism in charge of an explosive Betsy Rue . While the look is suitable atmospheric and eerie , the argument stretches plausibility to the breaking point . This is a customary splatter plenty of grisly killing , thrills , gruesome shocks , nauseating chills and quite entertaining . It relies heavily on old-fashioned buckets of blood and the plot belongs the same of 'Slashers genre' in ¨ Halloween ¨, ¨ 13 Friday ¨, ¨Nightmare in Elm Street ¨ style , being recently remade . This is an usual excruciatingly splatter film in which the intrigue, tension , suspense appears threatening and lurking in every room, corridors , hospital , mine , tunnel number 5 and many other places . This unrelenting shock-feast packs good make-up and nice special effects . It's just one long relentless stabbing and acceptable budget horror movie that still packs a punch for those who like to be terrorized out their wits . The motion picture is professionally directed by Patrick Lussier , a good filmmaker and editor expert on terror genre ( ¨White noise 2¨ , ¨Dracula 2000¨ , ¨Legacy¨ and ¨Ascension¨ , ¨The prophecy 3: The ascent¨). This murder-feast that will appeal to gore and guts aficionados.