Midweek Mayhem: My Bloody Valentine '81
Midweek Mayhem is a weekly column covering and discussing horror films of varying sub-genres.
"It happened once. It happened twice. Cancel the dance, or it'll happen thrice".
George Mihalka's canuxploitaton masterpiece is the rare 80s slasher that's not only withstood the test of time, but actually gets better upon multiple viewings. Often quoted as Quentin Tarantino's all-time favourite slasher film, the holiday-themed horror mixes grotesque horror with universal themes so relatable if you watch it today you can't help but associate with the characters on screen.
The film kicks off with a wonderfully gruesome set-piece in a mine (Mihalka actually shot the film in real mines in Nova Scotia) where we see two lovers disrobe before the foreplay starts. But wait! One of them is actually the killer, the mythic, presumed-incarcerated Harry Warden, who quickly dispatches his doomed victim in a ghastly way that sets the tone for the entire piece. It's a really great opening scene, combining the eerie haunted-house vibe of the mines with the sexuality often associated with the genre, My Bloody Valentine wastes no time in letting the audience know this is going to brutal, surprising and wild.
The action quickly moves above ground, to the sleepy small town of Valentine's Bluff (the small town with a big heart, says the welcome sign), where a group of young twenty-something men clock off work and hit the bars to meet their girls. From there we meet lead T.J. (Paul Kelman), a young man whose just moved back home to Valentine's Bluff to find his ex-girlfriend and current love Sarah (Lori Hallier) dating his old best friend, Axel (Neil Affleck). The trio are involved in organizing the town's Valentine's Day dance which hasn't been on in 20 years, after the original spat of killings by Harry Warden. Oblivious to the bodies now turning up around town, the love-triangle and their friends party through February toward Valentine's Day, where the killer promises to strike again.
The cast of characters we're introduced to are almost immediately likable and surprising in that they're nearly all fleshed out. From this introduction we get a sense of the small town camaraderie, that these young people have known each other their entire lives and the relationships then feel real. These are high-school sweethearts, tough-guys, sweet-gals and best friends. If you've seen enough horror films, you'll know that 85% of the time you'll leave the movie not remembering many (if any) of the character's names, so it's a testament to the director and writers Stephen A. Miller and John Beaird that My Bloody Valentine's characters are all memorable, charming young people. So of course you feel it when they're murdered.
Speaking of feeling it, even though I've seen this multiple times over the years, the kills in here still make this jaded horror fan flinch. Upon its initial release, My Bloody Valentine was butchered by censorship and it's only in the last few years the gory set-pieces have been restored back into the film. Sure, the Blu-Ray picture quality dips every time there's an on-screen death, but the practical effects still pack a serious punch. Pick-axes through jaw, burning, drowning, stabbing...Harry Warden doesn't hold back. It's a savage depiction of violence punctuating the character's panic at the legend of the killer; a legend cemented by the haunting miner's uniform and huge black, empty eyes.
I'm being extra cautious with this weeks column, as I really don't want to hit upon any spoilers for this. I will say though, that My Bloody Valentine's final three minutes rank up there as one of the coolest, creepiest finales in a horror film. It chooses to go out in such a ballsy manner, and the film closes with the most chilling voice-over I've ever heard. I'm assuming George Mihalka had planned a sequel based on the ending, but since it never came to fruition, it gives the film's climax even more punch.
My Bloody Valentine is 80s slasher heaven. A uniquely Canadian piece of horror cinema, with charming characters, a legitimately creepy villain and a classic horror ending, I can't recommend it enough.