Again we have to thank a remake for getting the original out, but this time fans may well want to shake the remake’s hand as it gets My Bloody Valentine sent to us even bloodier (I’m still somewhat intrigued by the 3D). So get your sweetie a heart shaped box of chocolate and push play on the DVD player, if you dare.
In the mining town of Valentine Bluffs some mine foremen skipped out on their men to attend the Valentine’s Day dance. The men below the surface were caught in a methane explosion and trapped. When the rescuers finally got to them in the mine the only survivor had lived by eating the flesh of the other men.
The survivor, Harry Warden (Peter Cowper), was committed to an institution but escaped a year later to slaughter the two men who left them and leave a missive if the town held a Valentine’s Day celebration that he’d return to kill those responsible.
Twenty years later the town is finally shrugging off the legend of Harry Warden and preparing to have a Valentine’s Day dance. T.J. Hanniger (Paul Kelman) has returned to town after setting off for greener pastures and finds his old flame Sarah (Lori Hallier) has taken up with his best friend Axel (Neil Affleck).
Mayor Hanninger (Larry Reynolds) is helping out Mabel (Patricia Hamilton) decorate the hall for the dance. One of the local youths finds a heart shaped box of chocolates addressed to the mayor. He doesn’t open it until he and Sheriff Newby (Don Francks) are driving away from the hall. That’s when they open it and find it contains a human heart and a poem. Harry Warden is back and he’s not feeling the love and plans on killing those celebrating February the 14th.
Paramount released My Bloody Valentine onto DVD in 2002 but fans have always been disappointed that it hasn’t been put out uncut on any format. That is till now. The picture was famously the victim of cuts by the Motion Picture Association of America and fans have always been teased by still pictures from the grue that might’ve been.
Now for the first time the uncut version of this holiday classic is unleashed onto DVD. Michael has Halloween, Jason has Friday the 13th, and Harry Warden has always been the king of hearts on Valentine’s Day (hell, even Prom Night, April Fool’s Day, and Happy Birthday to Me got slasher flicks).
The film may seem rather tame today but that bloody footage does put some bite back into it. The main villain does offer some nice twists in that he wears a full miner’s regalia, a breather mask that makes him sound like Vader, and uses a pickaxe on those that dare celebrate the holiday.
The film does have some of the genre tropes, but it also has some different turns in that we’re dealing with older, working folks instead of the usual teens. However, the Sheriff with his constant pipe and Ward Cleaver (cleaver, get it?) looks makes for some unintentional comedy.
My Bloody Valentine may not get the press and recognition that Michael Myers gets but it is a nice slice of a slasher film. The missing footage is easy to tell since it doesn’t look as well preserved as the rest of the film, which looks rather good. The inclusion of this missing footage is the reason to pick up this fan-pleasing disc.
My Bloody Valentine is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. You have the option to watch the theatrical cut of the film (90 minutes) or the director’s cut (93 minutes) with the restored footage, with a text introduction by director George Mihalka.
If you don’t want to watch the restored footage in the film you can also access the ten sequences from the special features menu with video introductions by Mihalka and a host of others who worked on the film. The 20-minute “Bloodlust” looks at where My Bloody Valentine fits into the Slasher genre and also takes a look at the remake.
Next is an interactive horror film history called “Bloodlines.” You also get some trailers for other Lionsgate films, including the remake, but no trailer for the original.
Still fun after all these bloody years, we finally get to see the uncut version of My Bloody Valentine. That makes this disc well worth the purchase price alone. The documentary is interesting but turns into a rah-rah for the remake (though I’m interested in seeing it).
My Bloody Valentine is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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