My Bloody Valentine-1981
Director : George Mihalka
Producer(s) : John Dunning, Andre Link, Bob Presner
Writer : John Beaird
Rating : R
Running Time : 1hr 31 mins
Genre : Horror /slasher/suspense
Cast : Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Cynthia Dale
My Bloody Valentine was one of the midway entries back in 1981 which included the horror holiday cash cow. Slasher films like Black Christmas, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Mother's Day, April Fool's Day, Prom Night, and even Happy Birthday, get it? Now for me having little memory of it, aside from a few scenes, watching the new remastered, widescreen, uncut DVD version was like seeing it for the very first time. Its even better than it was back then, because all the lost footage has been restored and edited into the film rather than just thrown in with the extra features. The extended gore sequences aren't quite up to the picture quality of the film, so you can actually see exactly what was banned by the censors.way back then and It's really interesting to see! It's not only extended murder moments, but also flashes showing the victims' agony and fear of impending doom, their reactions, and some pretty brutal suffering.
The movie begins with a brutal kill straightway, then bleeds into the everyday lives of the residents of the sleepy little town of Valentine Bluffs ("The Little Town With A Big Heart"). Coal mining is the towns money maker and survival, and just about every able-bodied young man toils away in the dark, dangerous labyrinths by day and blows off steam downing Moosehead Beer (blatant product placement abounds!) in the tacky tavern by night. It's here where we get to know our leads and story: Mainly, there is the love-triangle between Sarah (Lori Hallier), her new boyfriend Axel (Neil Affleck), and her ex, T.J. Hanniger (Paul Kelman). T.J. has recently returned to the mines his family founded after trying, and failing, to make it on his own in the big city. He's not happy to have to come back tail tucked between his legs, but he's determined to win Sarah back.
As the 1981 Valentine's Day Dance is being enthusiastically planned by the town's coordinator, the elderly and peaceful Mabel Osborne (Patricia Hamilton), bad things start to happen. The first hint is given with a bright red candy box that's stuffed not with tasty chocolates, but with a ripped out human heart! complete with corny poetry! (Sayeth the sonnet, It happened once/It happened twice/Cancel the dance/Or it'll happen thrice.) My Bloody Valentine, especially in its restored state, definitely stands the test of time as one of the most entertaining 80s slashers. The death scenes are quite gruesome and ingenious; the acting is quite good, the story plays along well fitted to the odd characters, the dialogue is laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, and you've gotta love the dated tunes and far-out fashions.
The My Bloody Valentine Special Edition is definitely better than the original little slasher gem from 1981. In addition to the edgy added scenes, you also get a new interview with director George Mihalka who talks candidly about the censorship of the film back in the day. There is also a gem of a featurette starring noted genre author Adam Rockoff who shares several tidbits (such as: why not a spawn of sequels?) that are sure to delight fans and newcomers alike.
10 Stars