45 Years Anniversary Review Of My Bloody Valentine

When ever i think about movie posters i can not stop to think about the 1980´s, because let´s be honest this was the greatest time for making cinema posters. We have so many amazing movie posters from the 1980´s of cult classic films such as John Carpenter´s The Thing, Back To The Future, Blade Runner, First Blood, Gremlins, Raiders Of The Lost Ark and many, many more titles to choose between. One of the movie categories where the 80´s really shine was of course horror films, and there are so many wonderful films i could mentiion here. Not just because of the poster itself, but the films turned out to be fun as well. Let us talk about a perfect example and let´s talk about the 1984 slasher horror film Silent Night, Deadly Night from director Charles E. Sellier Jr. Not only is the movie poster of this film fun, but the film itself is one of the best Christmas slasher horror films of the 1980´s. It´s a very basic plot in Silent Night, Deadly Night. Billy ( Robert Brian Wilson ) is a 18 year old man, remembering his grandfather warning him in his childhood that Santa will punish you if you are naughty. Billy is raised strictly in a orphanage by Mother Superior ( Lilyan Chauvin ) and Sister Margaret ( Gilmer McCormick ), where Billy seems to have traumatic memories watching a Santa Claus killing his mother. Mother Superior punish billy by belting him, hoping he will turn into a good boy after her punishments. As Billy become an 18 year old man, he may look like an ordinary young man but all the trauma from his childhood cause him to turn into a serial killer, dressed as Santa Claus. Silent Night, Deadly Night is exactly what you want to watch during Christmas, bloody but brutal fun kills, topless women, sex scenes and some crazy characters included. This is basically the Christmas combination we all wish could happen. during the holidays celebration. Worth picking up on blu ray from distribution company 101 Films. Speaking of slasher horror films of the 1980´s, i realised that a true classic from 1981 called My Bloody Valentine turns 45 years this year of 2026. I still own the DVD of this film that i bought many years ago, so i decided to do an anniversary review of this classic. Is this still a fun slasher horror film or have My Bloody Valentine aged more that i expected and lost some of the magic?

Mayor Hanninger of Valentine Bluffs, a Canadian mining town, reintstates the traditional Valentine´s Day dance, after having been suspended for twenty years following an accident in Hanninger Mine, where miner Harry Warden ( Peter Cowper ) was the only survivor while the other miners died. Warden resorted to cannibalism to survive and went insane from the ordeal. Once he is out of the mine, he starts a killing spree during Valentine´s Day, placing out Valentine´s Day candy boxes with human parts inside. 20 years later when the Valentine´s Day is finally reopened, citizens of this mining town are getting candy boxes again. Is the real Harry Warden back after so many years?

The easiest way to describe a film such as My Bloody Valentine, is that it´s the typical slasher film of the early 1980´s. But there is one thing that makes this film really stand out, and that is the miner killer and the design of the costume. I have always said in the past how important it is if you are making a slasher horror film, the main evil character has to have a cool design or at least a cool weapon. After all we are expecting lots of dead bodies, so we might as well have fun seeing the main evil character butcher young people. The actor Peter Cowper, who plays the serial killer The Miner ( also known as Harry Warden ), he deliver some really entertaining slasher scenes with a lot of gory kills. The practical make up effects for being the early 1980´s, actually doesn´t look bad at all. Sure, you can tell it´s 1980´s make up effects but i actually love that. Because back in those days you actually had to make everything practical, so the killing scenes are far more fun than some modern CGI horror films. There is a really huge cast here so it would take forever to talk about each character, but some of the performances i enjoyed are from actor Don Fracks ( who i watched on Saturday mornings in the early 90´s on TV, doing his vioce for the character Dr. Arcane in the cartoon TV series of The Swamp Thing ) as Chief Newby. I have to say that Chief Newby is the perfect character for a small miner town like this, he cares about the locals, he makes sure everyone is alright. Actress Lori Haller as the sweetheart character Sarah, this is the kind of woman most men would do anything to marry. I also have to mention the charming character of  Hollis, played by actor Keith Knight. A real goofball but with a good heart included. The mine itself is impressive and the killing scenes down there match so well with the background story of The Miner. I think if you love old school slasher films and want some really bloody kills, this is definetely the film for you. It´s not original, but this film have a strong main villain and that´s one of the biggest reasons why this film work so well in this specific genre. My Bloody Valentine is still today considered to be a classic and i can see why. The way they made this film with a connection to a romantic theme, where so many people end up dead is quite a fun mix. Director George Mihalka clearly knew exactly what a Valentine´s Day inspired film needed to be cool, and this may be one of the best ones regarding this holiday weekend. If you just want to have a fun horror night with a couple of beers, My Bloody Valentine will be a good match for your party evening.

Rating: DDD