My Bloody Valentine (film)
| My Bloody Valentine | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | George Mihalka |
| Written by | John Beaird |
| Produced by | John Dunning |
| Starring | Paul Kelman Lori Hallier Neil Affleck |
| Cinematography | Rodney Gibbons |
| Edited by | Gérald Vansier Rit Wallis |
| Music by | Paul Zaza |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | February 11, 1981 |
Running time | 90 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | CAN$2,300,000 (estimated) |
My Bloody Valentine is a low-budget Canadian horror film released in the wake of the rise of the slasher genre that had overtaken the 1980s, considered an example of the low-budget cult films reminiscent of popular slasher fims such as Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980). It was filmed in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia Canada.
The movie is also infamous for having 9 minutes cut by the MPAA, because of the gore. Attempts to release this footage have proven difficult, as Paramount Pictures has refused to release an uncut version. The film's tagline is: "Valentine's Day will never be the same again..."
Plot summary
Twenty years ago in the sleepy mining town of Valentine Bluffs, a fatal mining disaster occurred on Valentine's Day while key members of the crew were decorating for a party. The sole survivor of the accident killed the absentee crew members and warned the town never to have another Valentine's Day celebration. When a group of teenagers decide that the town has gone without a party long enough and begin planning one, a murderous maniac in mining gear begins dispatching townsfolk in bloody and creative ways.
Some of the cuts left some of the murders incoherent, like the death of Howard atop the ladder, where it was not obvious he was beheaded, you just see blood splash on one of the girls and a body falls. Another cut is where Happy the bartender is murdered, and the pickaxe is swung up through his chin and out his eye socket. The swinging of the pickaxe and Happy's shocked expression is all we see before he's on the ground. Also, Sylvia's death on the showerhead makes it a little more clear as to what happened to her.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Kelman | Jessie 'T.J.' Hanniger |
| Lori Hallier | Sarah |
| Neil Affleck | Axel Palmer |
| Keith Knight | Hollis |
| Alf Humphreys | Howard Landers |
| Cynthia Dale | Patty |
| Helene Udy | Sylvia |
| Rob Stein | John |
| Thomas Kovacs | Mike Stavinski |
| Terry Waterland | Harriet |
| Carl Marotte | Dave |
| Jim Murchison | Tommy Whitcomb |
| Gina Dick | Gretchen |
| Peter Cowper | The Miner & Harry Warden |
| Don Francks | Chief Jake Newby |
Where are they now?
- Keith Knight (Hollis) has since become a cartoon voice actor and appeared in several TV series and movies.
- Neil Affleck has since done bit performances in other movies, then turned to directing TV episodes (including some episodes for The Simpsons and Family Guy).
- Lori Hallier has continued acting in films and various television guest appearances.
- Don Francks has done many cartoon voices for Canadian TV and movies. He has also acted in a lot of TV series and films before and since My Bloody Valentine. His daughter, Cree Summer, also has a rich career in voice acting.
Popularity
Since its release the film has garnered a cult status over the years. It is often claimed that the highly influential Irish/British shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine chose their name from this film. However, there are conflicting reports that make this inconclusive.
In a March 30, 2007 issue of Entertainment Weekly, the film was ranked 17 a list of guilty pleasures, listed among the such films as Dawn of the Dead and Escape from New York, and called "the most criminally underappreciated of the [slasher] genre." Popular filmmaker Quentin Tarantino calls it his all-time favorite slasher film [1]