![[box cover]](../../reviewimgs/m/mybloodyvalentine.jpg)
My Bloody Valentine
The quiet mining town of Valentine's Bluff is gearing up for its first Valentine's Day dance in 20 years — a tradition previously abandoned after a psychotic miner went on a murderous spree and promised to return for more should the locals ever dare plan another Feb. 14th celebration. Inevitably, as the party draws near, townsfolk begin popping up as organ-light cadavers, and bloodied heart-shaped candy boxes become the gift du jour. One of the better lousy Friday the 13th knockoffs, the 1981 Canadian slasher flick My Bloody Valentine is as dumb as a box of coals but possesses a few unusual qualities that elevate it above pure dreck. The rough, working-class milieu of Valentine's Bluff is a welcome change from the standard lot of murdered preppies popular to this genre, and the inexperienced cast of believably cretinous provincials adds some flavor to a highly formulaic series of ersatz shocks and gruesome (and occasionally imaginative) gougings. Another plus for My Bloody Valentine is its ideal finale setting, deep in the cavernous and creepy mine shafts. My Bloody Valentine has been preserved far better than it deserves, and Paramount presents it in a surprisingly clean anamorphic transfer (1.85:1) with the original mono soundtrack (DD 2.0). Keep-case.
—Gregory P. Dorr
