For those hording toilet paper

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Can I just say that I love My Bloody Valentine (1981; George Mihalka). I admit that it doesn't take a whole hell of a lot to please a slasher fan. Admittedly, we become so accustomed to same ole/same ole, that all you really have to do is mix things up and we're happy. I think, though, that My Bloody Valentine, while exploiting a holiday to gain profit, is so well received because it has true-to-life characters that seem totally legit. The mine is a location quite unique for the slasher, a killer's breath being heard typical of the hidden-identity killer is done through a miner's breathing apparatus, and the pick axe is a might bit different than the oft-used machete.

 Seeing young adults--covered in soot, coughing mine dust, leaving the mine with an attempt to enjoy after-work entertainment in their small town Valentine Bluffs' bar, having gained just a bit of extra excitement because after 20 long years (due to a psycho miner going berserk on the holiday because of a mine disaster that killed four of his co-workers due to neglect) they would be having a Valentine's Day party--actually toiling with less-than-desirable jobs that leave little satisfaction or promise for a brighter future (considering it really is the only major source of employment in their hometown) has relevancy for those of us who understand their predicament. Relatable characters are few and far between so when a low budget slasher can at least provide them, it is easier for me (and probably other fans) to digest.

Sure there's a love triangle, one who returned from "the west coast" after trying to make it outside of his town on his own (failing miserably) hoping to make amends for leaving his girl (not contacting her, in turn, causing an emotional rift that won't be easy to mend), having to compete for her affections with a former friend she now dates. A war of words, eventual fisticuffs, and a brief setting aside differences to rescue friends in the mine from a killer (or so we think they're on the same team..*wink*). I think it works well enough; for me, these kinds of subplots, about romantic strife, often annoy me, but because the characters seem more fleshed out that usual, it didn't bother me too much. Unlike today, casts in slashers often are made up of unfamiliar (or slightly familiar..often members of the cast go on to have minor success, but these results are atypical) faces and, for me, this is a benefit in My Bloody Valentine because the characters need to be "just like anybody else", average and blue-collar types.

Sure, the characters like to congregate, drink beer, laugh, cut-up, goof around, shoot pool, and chat about small town stuff; I think in this film, there's a genuine authentic feel to them. They just happen to live in a town containing a lunatic taking up where Harry Warden left off. Slashers often have the backstory that feeds the killing spree, a reasoning behind the rampage, and My Bloody Valentine uses the mine in a way that satisfies the past and present violence. Perhaps not the strongest of backstories, but tragedy and a possible escaped nutcase from an institution (his record is not currently found at the institution he's reputed to have been committed) are part and parcel with the slasher genre. Around the same time, Prom Night utilized (not that effectively, I thought..) the escaped killer device as an option behind who might be eventually threatening the lives of the girls in the film, and My Bloody Valentine also includes the possibility that Harry Warden has returned to Valentine Bluffs to embark on a second killing spree. Again, I'm doubtful few believed it was actually him, much like the killer in Prom Night.

Let's face it, though, My Bloody Valentine has the awesome accompanying theme song at the end, The Ballad of Harry Warden and few slashers (except maybe Jamie Lee Curtis disco grooving to Prom Night) can compete with that. I like the fact that this is very Canadian and doesn't attempt to hide it. This only, I imagine, will garner extra interest from slasher fans and add to its cult following. With the addition of the gore (when this full version made its way into my collection, I couldn't express the enthusiasm and relief I felt to finally have it), the film does feel complete. Sometimes a remake is a good thing if we can get a film like My Bloody Valentine intact after such a massacre thanks to censors. Certainly the scene where the gal is impaled head onto shower pipe head packs a wallop, although the pick ax through the face popping out an eye was a bit over-the-top (yeah, I dug it just the same, just saying...).