Quentin Tarantino has called this his all-time favorite slasher film, and it's one I'd never seen, so I went into this with fairly high expectation. Unfortunately, this film still pales when compared to John Carpenters "Halloween" or William Lustig's "Maniac." Still, it's well made and does stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the better slasher films of the 70s and 80s; "The Town that Dreaded Sundown," "The Burning," "Sleepaway Camp," "Black Christmas," and such. The story involves a coal mining town where a maniac wearing mining gear kills hapless victim with a pickax, boiling water, shower head nozzles, and other implements that all prove deadly. The film does have a decent who-done-it mystery element to it and when the mystery is revealed at the end it's not a copout and is satisfyingly done, which is a rarity for most slasher films. Overall, I wouldn't say "My Bloody Valentine" is a classic, but it is a must see for slasher film fans.

A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."My Bloody Valentine" (R - 1981 - US)Sub-Genre: SlasherMy Score: 6.2Cast=4 Acting=4 Plot=7 Ending=8 Story=5 Scare=6 Jump=7 F/X=7 Blood=8 Twist=6A decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer's order and people start turning up dead. "Roses are red, violets are blue, one is dead, and so are you." Maybe a lesser known title from those 80's campy slasher flicks, but still one to watch. I didn't think it held up as well as maybe ANOES or ISOYG, but no one can use a pick like this guy...at least not until "Cold Prey". With silly scary nursery rhymes like, "It happened once, it happened twice. Cancel the dance, or it'll happen thrice" and "Beware of having a party at all on Saturday night! You may not live to see daylight!"...you may gag or chuckle a bit. One thing's for sure, the kills do hold up pretty well...Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is coming around and the young people of the small mining town of Valentine's BLuffs are organising a party. A few decades earlier an explosion at the mine trapped six miners underground. One, Harry Warden, survived, though in a deranged state. Warden is sent to a mental hospital but escapes and murders those he deems responsible for the mine accident. Now people are being brutally murdered again, and the townsfolk suspect that it is the work of Harry Warden.Better than your average slasher-horror, not that this says much. Reasonable set up, and a decent amount of intrigue. Does fall back on many horror clichés, and the performances are so-so. Plot is ultimately fairly formulaic, but has its moments.

My Bloody Valentine (1981) is one of the "slasher" greats, in my opinion. However, when I first watched the film, I found it to be quite predictable up until the ending. Want to know why the remake was horrible? Because it didn't feature "The Ballad of Harry Warden." I was surprised a sequel wasn't attempted, given that the ending basically was open for a follow-up. By the way, I'm Nova Scotian and a filmmaker. A horror filmmaker. This film will always be an influence. I found the image of the real Harry Warden murdering Axel's father, dark in tone. It contributed greatly to the film. I gave this film nine out of ten, because, like I mentioned earlier, I found it quite predictable. But then again, isn't it all of the clichés that make for a classic horror film?