Starring - Paul Kelman (Bloodlust: My Bloody Valentine and the Rise of the Slasher, Class of '96), Lori Hallier (Star Trek: Voyager), Poltergeist: The Legacy), and Neil Affleck (Scanners, Visiting Hours)
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "There's more than one way to lose your heart"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I couldn't imagine being a horror fan in 1981. As a slasher fan I can't help but look back at this historic year and think of all the amazing slashers that was released then. Classic like Halloween II, Friday the 13th: Part 2, The Burning, Graduation Day, The Prowler, and so many more were released in 1981. Most of them are slashers that I've watched more times than I can count. Another reason 1981 is important to me is because it is the year that my favorite slasher was released. When I was in high school I watched the Canadian holiday slasher My Bloody Valentine. I fucking fell in love with the film and bought several different releases over the years. I have three different DVD releases featuring different artwork and at one time I had two different VHS releases of the film before. Sometime ago Scream Factory announced that they would be releasing the film on blu. I needed this and reached out to Scream. They were kind enough to send a review copy my way. Thanks guys!
The film follows a small mining community that is recovering from a mining accident several decades before where some miners were trapped in a cave in. They all died but one who went mad while trapped with his dead comrades. The following year he escapes from the mental hospital and kills those responsible for the mine collapse before he was captures. Now the small town is trying to put the past behind them are attempt to have a town Valentine's Day party. A former miner has returned to town and shows resentment to returning to the life he once left behind. Soon after his arrival the town is once again plagued by murders. The police suspect the miner responsible for the murders all those years ago has escaped the mental hopsital but he died several years ago. Now the authorities, along with the miner who just returned to town, must race to stop the killer before he kills everyone that made it to the mines to party.
I can't recall how many times I've watched this movie but I've revisited this classic so many times over the years. It's been a couple years since I last watched it but tossing in this blu was like watching this movie for the first time all over again. Every release I had acquired before now was extremely dark at times especially the VHS releases but this blu was so much clearer which gave the scenes a whole different look than before. The acting in this one is what you would expect from an early 80s slasher. The cast is having fun which translates very well on camera for us. Sure, the characters are cliched, even for a slasher filmed in 1981, but it's this cliche that makes these films so much fun. The cast does a solid job, and the fun pays off, but no one is really winning awards for their portrayal. The story for this one is your traditional "who-dun-it" slasher. These slashers usually follow an unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings as they are stalked and cut down one by one by a masked murderer who was wronged sometime ago. This story is no different except we are placed in a small mining town which hits very close to home. I'm not Canadian but I grew up in a very small and poor mining town in West Virginia. I loved the killer reveal in this one and I loved how well it followed the slasher standard. Finally, the kills are nothing short of textbook slasher kills. They fit the theme of the film very well and the effects for the kills. They are fun but don't expect serious gore. However, fans of slashers will not be disappointed. Overall, My Blood Valentine is a must, not only for horror fans, but fans that love slashers. This release is essential and Scream Factory really did this film justice. Be sure to add this one to your collection!
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