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Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Keith Knight, Alf Humphreys ... see more see more... , Cynthia Dale , Helene Udy , Rob Stein , Tom Kovacs , Terry Waterland , Carl Marotte , Jim Murchison , Gina Dick , Peter Cowper , Don Francks , Patricia Hamilton , Larry Reynolds , Jack Van Evera , John MacDonald

It's Valentine's Day in the tiny mining town of Valentine's Bluff, Nova Scotia, and for the first time in two decades the residents are planning a holiday dance. The long hiatus is due to the tragic e... read more read more...vents of 20 years earlier, when a pair of mining supervisors were too busy enjoying themselves at the dance to prevent an accident from killing a large contingent of their workers. The lone survivor, Harry Warden, took his revenge the next year by removing the hearts of his bosses and promising similar carnage if ever another Valentine's dance were held. Unfortunately, the town's horny early-'80s youngsters aren't big on tradition, especially since Warden is locked up in an insane asylum. They go ahead with plans to celebrate the holiday -- even after a heart in a candy box shows up and beloved biddy Mabel (Patricia Hamilton) ends up enduring an involuntary tumble dry. Soon, bodies begin piling up, setting the stage for a climactic trawl through the mines and surprise revelations about the fate of Harry Warden. Shortly after the death of John Lennon, the MPAA made an example of this Canadian slasher film, forcing much of its gore to be excised. Nevertheless, My Bloody Valentine provided inspiration for Kevin Shields' influential band of the same name, which helped establish England's late-'80s shoegazer sound and paved the way for the post-rock of the 1990s. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Flixster Users

51% liked it

8,573 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

9 critics

R, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: George Mihalka

Release Date: February 11, 1981

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DVD Release Date: September 3, 2002

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Flixster Reviews (749)

  • theoneandonlybg
    October 18, 2011
    theoneandonlybg
    At a first glance, Rotten Tomatoes seems to show that this film is a relatively poor film, with it's roughly 33% rating on the Tomatometer. However, if you can ignore this and actually watch the film, you can see exactly why it was remade in 2009.

    My Bloody Valentine is the st... read moreory about a mining village where a horrible mining accident happened due to a few miners deciding to leave the mine early for a Valentine's Day party. However, many years later, the people of the town decide to hold another Valentine's party, but someone doesn't want them to...

    The story is quite clever and creative, even though not actually very scary as a film. It is a good, confident slasher film, with some very clever use of symbolism (upside down hearts, along the same lines of the upside down cross Satanists use) and a clever ending.

    Although it is not the greatest film of all time, it is definitely one that is worth your time. It is one of those cult classics you have to watch, just to know what the fuss was about!
  • WrenchLT
    April 25, 2011
    WrenchLT
    A really good 80s slasher with a decent body count, good pacing and a memorable killer, and the twist ending was a genuine surprise for once. Due to MPAA cuts it's not the most gory of slashers compared to others of the time period but it's still entertaining from start to finish.
  • ajv2688
    January 10, 2011
    ajv2688
    One of my favourite slasher films of the 80s, it's suspenseful, horrific, and the ending is great. If you love horror, you should see this one.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 8, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    After the success of Halloween, many saw it as an opportunity to cash in on its success. Many Slasher imitators followed, Prom Night, Friday The 13th, and of course this one. Of all the Halloween rip offs, This along with Friday The 13th are the best in my opinion. This film is v... read moreery well done, the kills are entertaining and the cast does a great job. My Bloody Valentine was originally edited down due to extreme violence, the filmakers felt that because of the death of John Lennon, the movie would get a lot of flack for the violent contents. But on January 13, 2000, Lions Gate released an uncut version of the DVD. This new release with the lost footage adds so much more tension to the original 1980 theatrical cut, and it makes for way better viewing. The concept of the mine and the miner that kills people is brilliant and I think it makes My Bloody Valentine an essential Horror film to watch.
  • matertenebraum
    February 21, 2010
    matertenebraum
    From My Bloody Valentine: "Daddy's gone away, Harry Warden made you pay". That might quite possibly be the most haunting jingle in a horror movie. It is every bit as sinister as "One Two, Freddy's coming for you..."

    Twenty years after a Valentine's Day tragedy, a small town prep... read moreares for its annual holiday dance. When a box of candy arrives containing an eerie warning and blood-soaked heart, the townsfolk realize that this Valentine's Day romance is as good as dead...and so are they!

    And so finally the slasher 'Holy Grail' has been re-discovered and after twenty-eight years of patience, we can finally see the nearly-complete version of this hugely popular early-eighties slasher.

    My Bloody Valentine original Pictures, Images and Photos

    Notorious for being the film most tortured by censors upon its initial release, My Bloody Valentine has become something of a cult classic with a large number of fans. Even the most lukewarm horror enthusiast must admit to being slightly excited by the prospect of witnessing all the notorious gore that has, up until now, only been seen in a set of studio stills. The previously available print was missing over 9 minutes of footage, which thankfully producer John Dunning has now located. The on-line campaign to get the full uncut copy restored and released was one of the largest of its kind and thanks to the efforts of the movie's legions of adoring fans, we now have a special edition disc with nearly all of the glorious splatter intact.

    A small mining town in Canada has become famous over the years after a maniacal ex-miner went on a killing spree in the early sixties. He was the only survivor from a fatal accident on Valentine's night that stole the lives of numerous workers and left him having to survive by feeding on the corpses of his colleagues. Harry Warden murdered the supervisors that he considered responsible for the tragedy and stuffed their hearts into candy boxes to remind the townsfolk that their incompetence should never be forgiven. Twenty years later and the town is preparing for its first Valentine's dance since the gruesome massacre, but it seems that it is not only the decorations and romantic spirit that has returned. As a mutilated heart is sent to the local Sheriff with a gruesome warning that there will be more murders, it seems apparent that Harry Warden has come back once again....

    My Bloody Valentine is certainly a fine example of all that gave the most popular eighties slashers a significant standing in the annals of horror cinema. It boasts a likable cast that make up for their lack of A-list dramatic credibility with a warmness and depth of character that although laughably cheesy, evokes sympathy from the audience. The love triangle between the three leads is an intriguing sub-plot and the script is strong enough to allow the characters to work their way into the hearts of viewers.

    It can also lay claim to arguably the best arsenal of marketable gimmicks ever to be included in a single splatter feature and if the authentic calendar date doesn't induce your interest, then it's impossible to resist the excellent guise for the maniacal killer and the creepy mine location. The gas mask adds an extra dimension to the killer's essential-clichéd heavy breath and the pickaxe makes for an exquisite tool for gory slaughter. You can almost visualize the director's smile upon witnessing for the first time the awesome sight of his bogeyman strolling through the dimly-lighted shaft and stalking his intended victims. In terms of slasher visualizations, it's pure poetry-in-motion and Mihalka understandably milks the possibilities.

    Mihalka is no John Carpenter, but he does an impressive job in building suspense and he creates one or two decent jolts. The cast are surprisingly good for complete amateurs and their above-average performances are a rare and welcomed bonus. It was a conscious decision from John Dunning, the producer, to use actors that boasted far more potential than they did impressive C Vs, because he wanted to invest heavily in the special effects. Mihalka has said that people don't go to see a slasher movie to witness a 'name' actor. He is right in acknowledging the fact that the amount of money a producer would spend on such a performer just to see him get splattered on the wall is an entirely pointless exercise.

    You only need to take a brief look at my review list to see that I am an avid 'slasher-fanatic', but My Bloody Valentine has never been amongst my favourites. I often wondered how the movie could have even been considered to be better than the likes of Intruder, The Prowling or even Curtains, because to me it felt like I wasn't watching the vision that Mihalka had initially intended. Now, with most of the gore intact, the film feels 'complete' and in its entirety it is a completely different concept. Despite popular belief, there were many early slashers that were stylishly produced and genuinely strong entries to the horror catalogue. My Bloody Valentine is one such feature and its well-deserving of its legion of admirers.

    The gore effects are as decent as their reputation would lead you to believe and the movie credibly mixes approachable characters and mean-spirited mass-slaughter to create an excellent mix of moods. Unfortunately we are still missing Michael and Harriet's death scene, which was either a decision by Mihalka (perhaps it looked too fake?) or that particular footage was never recovered by Dunning. It doesn't really matter however, because finally we have a copy of My Bloody Valentine that has nearly everything that was intended and Sylvia's remarkably grisly slaughter and the notorious 'pick-axe through the face' are visions that are an iconic part of the whole slasher cycle.

    If you are even a half-hearted fan of early eighties stalk and slash flicks then I urge you to part with your pennies for this excellent example of non-franchise slash with panache that sums up everything that was great about the early eighties domination. No collection is complete without this sitting on a shelf next to Joseph Zito's The Prowler and Mark Rosman's The House on Sorority Row. The Harry Warden legacy has finally come full circle.....sit tight and enjoy the bloody Valentine and cross your heart... and hope to die.

    On a side note, George Mihalka presented a sequel idea to the film studio but due to My Bloody Valentine?s lackluster box-office numbers the idea was shot down. I say, make it. That was the 80s, this is now.
  • FilmFanatik
    December 20, 2009
    FilmFanatik
    A hell of a lot better and intelligent than most of the slashers that came out at this time.
  • ythelastman89
    November 18, 2009
    ythelastman89
    I think the movie is at least worth watching, there were some nice crazy deaths in there. If only the movie was miner centric, he was the best part. It has a nice 80s slasher vibe to it, which gives it a lot of personality that it might not otherwise have.
  • cosmo313
    June 24, 2009
    cosmo313
    Quite atmospheric and moody, but until 2009 has suffered the indignity of being violent and having a decent body count, but trimmed to the bare minimum. Unfortunate censorship aside, this is a bleakly entertaining and well-made slasher.
  • sononothing
    March 10, 2009
    sononothing
    What at first appears as an interesting premise for a horror movie quickly derails due to bad acting, bad direction, and a bad script. My Bloody Valentine is about a town that's haunted by a miner that was trapped after being abandoned for a Valentine's Day dance. The miner named... read more Harry Warden came back and murdered those responsible, vowing that he would return to kill if the town ever celebrated Valentine's Day again. Jump 20 years later and the town is planning on celebrating Valentine's Day for the first time since the slaughter. And lo and behold guess what happens? That's right, killing.

    Like I said, the basic premise is interesting. You look forward to see how this slasher will play out. The problem that pops up rather early is the acting. It's god awful, even by horror movie standards. I've seen more style at a 1st grade Christmas program. The thing is that you're not sure if the actors are actually that bad or if the script doesn't give them much to work with. It's filled with your standard horror movie cliches that even in 1981 were well worn to no end. Some of the dialogue says it all.

    My Bloody Valentine is yet another attempt to cash in on the Halloween slasher phenomenon. The '80's were filled with these flicks and very few of them were very interesting other than having something to watch on cable on the weekends. This film is a Canadian import that fails are being the real thing.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    October 27, 2008
    cancercapricorn2002
    Since it follows in the footsteps of Halloween (the trend setter for all 80s slasher movies), My Bloody Valentine is an often overlooked diamond in the rough. Although my viewpoint is biased because of my adoration for the slasher genre, it also suggests that I have seen scores o... read moref films that follow the same format as My Bloody Valentine (killer preys upon hapless teenagers one at a time until the ultimate showdown, where the killer is unveiled and hopefully his/her motives are made clear.) Well, My Bloody Valentine is all of that and so much more. First, let's start with the setting. A sleepy little Canadian town where most of the folks make their livings at the local mine. The mine makes for a creepy and claustrophobic atmosphere for the killer to do most of its stalking, shish kebabbing, and nail gunning. The killer itself(don't want to give away anything here) is imposing and downright scary in its miner's outfit, complete with gasmask and pickaxe. Then there is the mystery of the killer. Who is it? Is it the legendary killer, Harry Warden, from 20 years ago, or is it someone else using Harry's old M.O.? Because both the setting and the killer are A-1, the only things left that I consider key elements to making a great horror
    The score of My Bloody Valentine is sufficient. It is not as memorable as those of Halloween or Friday the 13th, but it does a great job setting the background for the story. Last is the cast. People may ask, what difference does the cast make in making a slasher movie? A lot! No big name actors = a more believable story. Since this movie doesn't star Busta Rhymes(ugh) or Freddie Prinze, Jr.(no thanks) the characters seem to be more real, thus adding the suspense to the picture. There are no big name actors in this movie, unless you consider the guy who played Larry Finkelstein in Meatballs to be a big name actor. While we are on the subject of acting, there definitely isn't anything Oscar-worthy in this picture, however, that also helps to make this a true classic of the 80s slasher genre. Some people might say I didn't mention anything about body count/gore to be important for slasher films. Well, I don't think that they are as important as the aforementioned key elements, because it is the creepy atmosphere that sells horror, and this movie in particular. However, to be a true slasher movie, you need at least a couple of deaths. Hey, I still want to see a body count too, this movie has plenty of cool death scenes, so everyone should be satisfied but I do have to admit that I hope the uncut version appears one day since this film had alot of cuts made by the MPAA at the time of its release. Despite this issue though I say check it out if your in the mood for a good old school slasher film.

View All My Bloody Valentine Reviews

Critic Reviews

Staci Layne Wilson
January 5, 2009
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com

The dialogue is laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, and you've gotta love the dated tunes and far-out fashions. Full Review

Bill Gibron
October 30, 2008
Bill Gibron, Filmcritic.com

sick, twisted, and guaranteed to leave you numb, or nauseous, or both Full Review

Dustin Putman
October 27, 2008
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com

As far as slashers go, My Bloody Valentine is fairly standard stuff. And yet, the film contains a pleasing atmosphere, turning a day dedicated to love into a day to be feared. Full Review

Nick Schager
September 10, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Quickly devolves into a piece of hackwork. Full Review

Ken Hanke
July 21, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Standard slasher fare with attempts at being a whodunit.

Scott Weinberg
January 1, 2000
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

It's different than Halloween! This one is Valentine's Day! Full Review

Tom Buckley
August 30, 2004
Tom Buckley, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Spence D.
December 17, 2004
Spence D., IGN Movies

No review available.

Jake Euker
March 17, 2004
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

Philip Martin
August 29, 2002
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Happy: Damn kids. I'll show them, piss on Harry Warden will they?
    • T.J.: We gotta get the hell out of here! Harry Warden's back! He's killed Sylvia & Dave up top!
    • Miner/Harry Warden: Haha. Sarah, be my bloody valentine.
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My Bloody Valentine Trivia

  • In this 1981 movie, five miners died in a mine due to an accident. The accident happened because the supervisors left their post to attend a dance. The only survivor, Harry Warden was put in a mental hospital. Twenty years later he came back for revenge. What movie was it?   Answer »
  • which horror movie is NOT mentioned in scream?  Answer »
  • in what movie did a physco killer plauge a village not allowed to throw valentines day parties  Answer »
  • Why was the Valentine Day's party originally canceled in My Bloody Valentine ?  Answer »
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