Horrific Inquiry: MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981)

Welcome back to the newest, and at times goriest, column here at Film Inquiry – Horrific Inquiry. Twice a month, I will be tackling all things horror, each month bringing two films back into the spotlight to terrify and frighten once more. And occasionally looking at those that could have pushed the envelope further. Join us as we dive deep into the heart of horror, but warning, there will be spoilers.

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, it seemed like the appropriate time to dive into horror films surrounding the beloved and cherished holiday. While there are a plethora of films surrounding the day with hearts, love, and complicated relationships, there are far fewer within the horror genre that tackle the occasion. One, in particular, stood out, however, sitting in the early years of the horror slasher, yet just far enough within where it teeters along the line of desensitization and overkill. But do not let the first half of the film fool you, My Bloody Valentine may be cheesy, perfectly aligning with the holiday, but its love for the genre clearly shines through.

Will you Be my Bloody Valentine?

My Bloody Valentine does not waste any time carving out the action, beginning with two masked individuals in mining gear playfully making their way through the tunnels. As the scene dives into a cliched 1980s vibe of hot and heavy, the young woman’s loss of clothing exposes a tattooed heart on her chest. There is an awkwardness to this opening scene, a disconnect from the characters as we have no idea who they are. They are just random individuals looking for a good time. The awkwardness has a momentary reprieve however, as the woman is brutally murdered, her body thrust onto the miner’s axe. Instantly, viewers are introduced to our central faceless killer.

The awkwardness continues as the film attempts to set its scene and its characters. As the rambunctious men – “boys” – of the mine end their shift, there are tidbits of discourse and backstory – “bet you wish you never came back” – that are thrown at the audience for them to piece together. As they speed off in their cars, the score  – a displaced hoedown of sorts – is awkwardly placed, giving a sense of uneasiness and uncertainty of the film we have embarked on. Honestly, having not seen this film before now, I was not sure what I had gotten myself into.

After we set the characters, My Blood Valentine needs to set its stage, which it succeeds at in a rather hand holding flashing – but not without some more kills and a “candy” boxed heart. Preparing for the first Valentine’s dance in 20 years, the town is euphoric and radiant with anticipation of celebrating the holiday. However, there is a nervousness in the air, a feeling as though fate is being challenged. 20 years earlier, an accident at the mine on Valentine’s Day caused the deaths of several miners – one in particular, Harry Warden, surviving for days after living off those who did not survive.

A year later, he went on a murderous Valentine’s rampage, vowing to return if another Valentine’s Day dance should ever occur. While the legend is not immediately revealed to the audience, the local bartender and the mayor each bring ominous vibes to their scenes, a foreboding nature that death and murder are on the horizon. As the bodies begin piling up, even with the understanding that Harry Warden has been locked up for the past 20 years, the mayor decides to cancel the dance, fearful that more death would befall the town if he didn’t.

Yet, as part of the town is looking to the past, another is looking to the future. As the adults succumb to the threats of the past, and the current one reemerging, the young adults in the town refuse to allow their Valentine’s celebrations to be canceled, deciding to throw an impromptu party at the local mines. But as they are about to discover, they are not as immune to the past as they think they are.

Homages, character breakdowns and more…

My Bloody Valentine is not the out of the park classic film that typically line a “best of” list. Though you can see where its heart was, a passion of a genre littered throughout its narrative. As viewers, you will see the homages the film pays to the horrors before, as well as the film’s that would pay homage to it in the future.

As the miner lurks through the town and the mines, his masked breathing resonates through the caverns. I found myself unable to not think back to Star Wars: A New Hope and its central antagonist Darth Vader, the same ominous sound of breathing and the black suit of the miner a foreboding entity in and of itself. My Bloody Valentine also lends itself to the perspective of the killer in its filming, much like that of Halloween and Friday the 13th. As the killer moves around the town, and the mine, we are given brief glimpses into what they see, and how they see it.

One of my favorite homages within the film was in the mine itself, a murder that truly kicks off the bloodshed. As Sylvia waits for her boyfriend to return to the mine, she is greeted by the miner, first unseen as he drops sacks of miner’s clothing on and around her, cornering her in the shower. Finally meeting face to face, he lifts her, putting her head onto the water spout, a graphic scene that is followed by her discovery. It is not the graphic nature that calls for the attention, but rather the inspiration that came before it – the girl on the meat hook in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

It is near impossible not to see even tidbits of homage that would be paid to this film in the future. While you may not be looking for them, they will pop out at you, churning a desire for a rewatch to see them in their full context. As the camera focuses on the boots of the miner as he approaches his victims, I found myself calling back to Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, especially the latter. The focus on the boots as the killer steps down from the toilet in Scream and a similar focus on the boots as the fisherman stalks his prey in the I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Sam’s white dress at the end of the film, with the headlight across her chest, was the next element I found future horror films honoring. Whether intentional or not, I could not help but think of Grace’s wedding dress and the straps from her weaponry across her chest in Ready or Not. And the most recent homage, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s opening episode of Season 4 displaying the miners coming to wreak havoc on the town, knocking out lights as they go – very similar to what the miner does as he is stalking the young adults in the mine.

While some are clear, and others a possible stretch, these homages are important to the genre as an entirety, the “Easter eggs” honoring the films that have come before, enriching both the material and narrative of the film whether it be old or new. It also keeps the classics alive within the genre, future horror inductions inviting rewatches and new discoveries.

My Bloody Valentine also boasts a pretty decent body count – 10 people total getting the axe. Honestly, once the massacre starts, the film gets better. And while the characters are stereotypically defined, they are not killed in the order you would think from a classic slasher – and in retrospect, the film’s twist is the biggest explanation as to why. We expect the girl in the beginning, but not initially the bartender and the town events planner. You expect the “fool” and the chill characters to go relatively early, yet here they are saved for almost the final showdown. And the “jerk”, well you typically expect him to go first, a comeuppance for his ill behavior. In My Bloody Valentine, he too is spared the first, second and even third kill.

“Would you like to be my Bloody Valentine?”

Far from the best horror film, and far from the best slasher, there is something classically endearing about My Bloody Valentine. It’s hockey, but for the cheesiest of holidays, it the perfect amount of cheese.

Watch My Bloody Valentine