After the success of Halloween and Friday the 13th, numerous studios were wanting their own piece of the slasher pie. Cinepix Productions, which was headed by Happy Birthday to Me producers André Link and John Dunning, wanted in on this. They hired George Mihalka, who previously directed the 1980 teen sex comedy Pick-Up Summer, to helm the project. For the cast, they mostly hired local Canadian actors, as well as hiring classic television actor Don Francks. With a budget of $2.3 million, they went to film at the Princess Colliery Mine in Nova Scotia. Filming in the mines proved to be difficult due to the limited space and the high levels of methane underground. After filming was completed in November 1980, the film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, who ironically released Friday the 13th. Originally titled The Secret, the film was released as My Bloody Valentine.
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Synopsis
The town of Valentine Bluffs is reinstating its annual Valentine’s Day dance after being suspended for twenty years. Way back when, a group of miners was trapped and left for dead while their supervisors went to the dance. The only survivor was Harry Warden (Peter Cowper), who resorted to eating his fellow miners to stay alive. The following year, he killed the two supervisors responsible and vowed to kill again if the dance was reopened. Mayor Hanniger (Larry Reynolds) and Chief Jake Newby (Don Francks) receive an anonymous Valentine chocolate box with a human heart. After resident Mabel (Patricia Hamilton) is murdered, the Mayor and the Chief decide to cancel the dance outright. Meanwhile, the young mine workers, including the mayor’s son T.J. (Paul Kelman) decide to hold a party in the mines. But soon, they’ll be on the end of a pickaxe when Harry Warden shows up.
Review
My Bloody Valentine is a very underrated slasher film amongst the glut of slashers that were released in 1981. Setting in a coal mine was a nice change of pace from the usual summer camp or sorority house. Not only is it in pure darkness, but the enclosed spaces add a sense of claustrophobia to heighten the tension. Also, the look of the killer is very unique, the sounds of his breathing through the gas mask extra creepy. Admittedly, it does follow the typical plot of a bad thing that happened years ago is happening again years later. Still, it works for this film, and the backstory established makes you almost sympathize with Harry Warden, but not entirely. There’s also a love triangle subplot, which ordinarily brings a film down, but here it adds to the plot. It adds tension and further develops the characters.
Speaking of the characters, while the acting is pretty solid, many of the characters are largely forgettable. Then again, most slasher films of the time weren’t interested in deep characterization, but rather having several characters to kill. On that note, the kills are fairly gruesome, and the effects by Tom Burman are impressive given the small budget. Admittedly, many of these sequences were cut for the theatrical release, though you can see some small hints of them. Thankfully, the unrated version features all the kills in their uncut glory, and there are some standout kill scenes. At slightly over 90 minutes, the film doesn’t take up much of your time, though the pace drags slightly. Even still, this is a solid slasher film that horror completionists will enjoy, though casual fans might find it dull. Overall, My Bloody Valentine is a bloody good time, especially for those without a Valentine.
Buy My Bloody Valentine from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jMQTB8
