‘Roses are red, violets are blue, one is dead, and so are you...’
There is a horror film for every holiday. Christmas is the most prominent but there is also New Year’s Evil, April Fool’s Day, Friday the 13th, Halloween and many others. Heck, even St. Patrick’s Day has Leprechaun. Not wishing to be left out, Valentine’s Day has inspired a number of horror movies over the years, but the frontrunner is, of course, George Mihalka’s horror classic My Bloody Valentine from 1981…
Following a tragic mine collapse in the town of Valentine Bluffs that killed five people and left the sole survivor insane, legend has it that Harry Warden, the aforementioned survivor, returns every year on Valentine’s Day to wreak havoc. So far, so Halloween. Confusingly, despite all being very much fully grown adult men, the miners have a deep longing to put on a Valentine’s Day dance to impress their seemingly much younger girlfriends. T.J. (Paul Kelman) and Axel (Neil Affleck) contend for the affection of Sarah (Lori Hallier). Hollis (Keith Knight) and Patty (Cynthia Dale) just want to party. And police chief Newby (Don Francks) just wants the whole damn thing to blow over.
While there are clear parallels with both Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers, Harry Warden is very much his own villain, aided by some stunning practical effects that are arguably better than anything the Halloween or Friday the 13th franchises were serving up at this point in their respective histories. The all-Canadian cast is likeable and eccentric and weird, and it is these small details, plus the stunning use of an actual coal mine in Nova Scotia, that elevate My Bloody Valentine beyond many of its peers. Witness Chief Newby’s constant pipe smoking, or Hollis’ preposterous handlebar moustache. This is what you want from a slasher film, a little colour, a little pazazz. A little Canadian magic.
My Bloody Valentine never really took off outside of horror circles, but for fans of slasher movies, it really is essential viewing. I loved it.