My Bloody Valentine

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Horrorphile - February 2009

My Bloody Valentine

February 16th 2009 00:47

My Bloody Valentine (1981) is legendary among horrorphiles. Until this year the Canadian slasher flick only existed in a heavily butchered version that was ruthlessly savaged by the MPAA. The producers were forced to cut most of its gore effects out in order to receive the R-rating (back then an X-rating – now called an NC-17 - was the kiss of death).

To coincide with remake Lionsgate have coerced Paramount to allow the archived cut footage be re-instated into the original movie and released as a Special Edition DVD. The results are for the most part very satisfying!

Local bartender Happy (Jack Van Evera) spins the yarn of the town's tragic history

Valentine Bluffs, a small coastal mining town in Novia Scotia, is gearing up to celebrate the first Valentine’s Day dance in twenty years. Two decades earlier several miners were killed in an underground gas explosion when the supervisors left early to celebrate at the annual dance. Only one man, Harry Warden, survived (by cannibalising on the dead), and subsequently went on a murderous act of revenge, pick-axing the two supervisors, and leaving a heart in a box as a warning.

Harry Warden's handiwork

Police chief Newby (Don Francks) is sent a Valentine’s Day heart-shaped box. Inside is a bloody human heart. His worst fear is realized. Harry Warden has escaped his mental institution and is wreaking homicidal havoc once again. Meanwhile Jessie ‘T.J.’ Hanniger (Paul Kelman) has returned to town, only to discover the girl he abandoned, Sarah (Lori Hallier) is now with rival miner colleague Axel (Neil Affleck). There’s tension in the air.

My Bloody Valentine Lori Hallier and Paul Kelman

Sarah (Lori Hallier) and TJ (Paul Kelman) have seen better days

Neil Affleck as Axel

While My Bloody Valentine won’t win any awards for its performances (they’re not dreadful, just over-acted in that low-brow early 80s way), it’s director George Mihalka’s atmospheric direction and John Beaird’s increasingly tense screenplay that push the movie severed head and shoulders above most of the other stalk’n’slash flicks of the time. The last half and hour of the movie, which takes place in the mine, is excellent, especially the twisted ending in its entirety, which had been cut from the original theatrical, VHS and DVD releases.

Chief Newby (Don Francks) makes a gruesome discovery

While the transfer of the movie is fantastic, the re-instated footage is not in the best condition, but thankfully it wasn’t destroyed! Unfortunately one death scene has been lost for good: the infamous drill-bit double impalement. Only the aftermath shot is left. Still, we finally get to see the superbly creepy and graphic death of Happy (Jack Van Evera), the disgruntled bartender who gleefully sets up a practical joke only to receive a pick-axe up rammed up under his jaw and out his eye socket!

Well, that's one way to get a bad tooth out

Adding a sense of realism to the production values is that all the mine scenes were shot in an actual mine. This certainly wouldn’t be done now. Can’t say I’d have been relaxed shooting two kilometres underground! Apparently the nervous tension felt by the actors and crew translated well for the suspenseful atmosphere of the movie. I’ve always said location shooting is good for horror movies!

Warning! Spoiler Ahead!

Sylvia (Helen Udy) in the killer's warm embrace

Possibly the movie’s scariest scene is after Sylvia (Helen Udy) and John have been making out in the miners’ shower room. She’s sent John back for more beer, so she’s alone. Suddenly the showers go on and Sylvia thinks it’s her boyfriend playing silly buggers. Then the pulley-system that holds the miners’ overalls starts dropping the clothes down all around her. She doesn’t know which way to turn, suddenly Happy’s mutilated body drops down in front of her, Sylvia screams, spins around to escape and is confronted by the killer miner in his gasmask. He clasps her head, picks her up and thrusts her backward, shoving her neck back onto a protruding broken shower pipe. Blood pours from her open mouth, while the killer turns the shower tap on full and water gushes out as her mouth as well.

Sarah thinks someone may be following her

While some aspects of My Bloody Valentine are a little clunky (particularly the adolescent behaviour of the young adults), most of the movie has aged well. Tom Burman’s special effects makeup is a little dodgy in places, but I’m so glad the impact has finally been re-instated. It’s certainly a more darkly intriguing and ultimately satisfying movie than the vacuous, risible remake. Paul Zaza’s score is solid, although the end song, a Kenny Rogers-styled croon called The Ballad of Harry Warden and sung by John McDermot, seems to be entirely incongruous.

Sarah and mates venture down into the mine to drink beer

With release of the uncut version of My Bloody Valentine is there hope for other movies that were unfairly treated by the MPAA? Or do we need to have remakes of Happy Birthday To Me (1981) and Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) in order to get the full uncut versions of both of those legendary censored slashers released on DVD?!

Here's the trailer to the Special Edition DVD:

And here's an original TV spot:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

6 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Cibbuano

February 16th 2009 02:56

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

crazy - it's only now that they've released the full version?

Actually, I've never seen this, and only heard about it tangentially... how many Canadian horror films have I passed by?

Comment by Bryn

February 16th 2009 03:32

Horrorphile

Cibby, yeah Paramount were being tightass conservative bastards and refused to allow an "unrated" movie be released under their distribution banner. Lionsgate talked them into it.

Canada has made some fine horror movies along the way.

Comment by Damo

February 16th 2009 10:35

Crazy crazy looking show.

I always wondered about these stalking killers, why do they have to kill in such gruesome ways.
Why not just use a gun or a bomb or something. It would be more efficient and they could kill more people.

Comment by Jake 5

February 17th 2009 00:08

Cinema Voir
Drunk Rant

Lionsgate is great.

Comment by Cibbuano

February 17th 2009 00:30

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

wow, looks like I need a top-5 essential viewing list of Canadian horror...

Comment by Bryn

February 17th 2009 03:10

Horrorphile

Black Christmas and Happy Birthday To Me are two off the top of my head ...

[ Previous - Nóz w Wodzie (Knife in the Water) ]

[ Next - My Bloody Valentine (2009) ]

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