Following on the heels of the first wave of American slasher films, that included the classics 'Halloween' and 'Friday The 13th', came 'My Bloody Valentine', with a score of others, mainly revolving around dates in the calender ('Happy Birthday To Me', 'Prom Night', 'Graduation Day') but there's something about 'My Bloody Valentine' that puts it ahead on the pack of the pretenders, but not quite reaching the heights of the escapades of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees.
20 years after a series of murders at the towns mine, stemming from an accident at the mine whilst people were at a party, Valentines Bluff decides to ignore the killers warnings of retribution and host a big Valentines party. You see, the killer, although incarcerated, Harry Warden (Peter Cowper) always promised to return if the townsfolk celebrated Valentine's Day again, and true enough, everyone starts suddenly dropping like flies.
There's nothing especially original about it all (now, more than ever) and none of the cast are as memorable as a Laurie Strode, but the story is quite gripping and the death scenes (and at the end of the day, that's what we are wanting to see) are superb.
That wasn't always the case though. Back on it's release in 1981, the MPAA cut 9 minutes of the film due to the excessive violence and gore, and it wasn't till 2009, when Lions Gate acquired the rights to the film, was the original footage put back in. And while compared to today's standards it could be seen as tame, it still provides the shocks lacking from similar films in the genre.
There's no real let up in the pace until near the end. The townspeople start getting picked off within 15 minutes of the opening titles, but as the film comes towards its conclusion it all slows down, as the remaining characters are running around trying to escape a mine (naturally, the kids of the town opt to have a party AT THE MINE, re-enforcing the rule that teenagers in horror films are the dumbest teenagers ever), and it does get a bit sluggish there.
The conclusion of the film is a bit 'wacky' also, and almost screams "sequel" at the viewer, but that was never to be. The film picked up a cult following, and was then brought back to public attention (also in 2009) with the remake (which was a 3D affair), and shockingly, that was a remake which this reviewer didn't actually mind. Not a patch on the original, which you can finally see uncut, after all these years (if you have a multi-region DVD player, that is.)
***1/2
Whilst not containing the power and effect of Halloween or Friday The 13th, My Bloody Valentine was a surprisingly good slasher film, only let down by a forgettable teenage cast and ending which really lags.
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