My Bloody Valentine (1981)
By: Devon Bertsch on July 9, 2006. 
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| Paramount (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1.78:1 (16:9 enhanced). German DD 2.0, English DD 2.0, Spanish DD 2.0, French DD 2.0, Italian DD 2.0. Danish, German, Greek, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Finnish, Swedish, Turkish, English, (FHI) Subtitles. 87 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: George Mihalka
Starring: Paul Kelman,
Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck
Screenplay: John Beaird
Music: Paul Zaza
Tagline: There's more
than one way to lose your heart
Country: USA |
Trying to ad even more horror to a date that already
strikes fear into the heart of men everywhere, My
Bloody Valentine sets itself around that
wonderful day known for chocolates and stupid, short,
naked, wingéd archers. However, in a bid
to be clever, an early caption says 'Thursday
February 12th,' with much occurring on what
would then be Saturday the 14th. This means that
a Friday the 13th occurs during the film, just to
muddle your slasher comprehension more.
The plot of My Bloody Valentine is very complex, so pay attention. In the 60s,
five miners were killed down the mine in a preventable
accident. Their companion, and only survivor of
the incident, Harry Warden, goes a bit loopy afterwards.
He returns to the town one year later, and kills.
Then, we go to 'present' day, and
the town is looking to put all this tragedy behind
them and once again be able to celebrate Valentine's
Day. Why anyone would give a fuck, I don't
know. Anyway, the town plans a dance, and then
ominous warnings start appearing in the traditional
heart shaped boxes that Kurt Cobain was always
on about. When the warnings aren't heeded,
the deaths begin, hence the 'bloody'
in the title. Is Harry Warden back?
While My Bloody Valentine might
not be a favourite in Tasmania right now, it is
an okay 80's slasher. The kills are unfortunately
a bit basic, but rumour has it there is an uncut
version that makes the 'bloody' bit
of the title seem like an understatement. The
cuts also render some scenes incoherent, so maybe
the film's a masterpiece at full strength.
While that footage languishes in Paramount's
purgatory, we'll have to make due with the
theatrical release. |
| Video |
| My Bloody Valentine is presented
at 1.78:1 in a 16x9 enhanced print. The film looks
sharp, with colours strong, and minimal grain. A
few specks and spots are still to be had, but overall,
this film looks excellent. Prints like this are
exactly what we have the DVD format for. |
| Audio |
| The audio is presented in the original mono track.
Purists, rejoice. Others, the audio is clear. It
may not make your surround sound stereo hop, but
you can hear what's going on. |
| Extra Features |
| You want what now? |
| The Verdict |
| It's a good thing these psycho killers are
always so patient and on top of things. If they
weren't so vigilant, people might think they
could get away with shit like a holiday dance after
only a few decades of cowering. My Bloody
Valentine is nothing new, and wasn't
even really back when it debuted 25 years ago. The
film isn't really deserving of a deluxe edition,
but I certainly wouldn't mind upgrading to
an uncut edition. Evidently one of the producers
claims to have not only an uncut negative, but an
extended version of the film. He is currently trying
to find a way to get this version released on DVD,
but is having rights issues. Regardless, the elements
of the theatrical release are well presented here,
so if you're a fan of the movie and can pick
this up cheap, do so. |
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