My Bloody Valentine Review

Review of My Bloody Valentine (1981) by screenqueeen: 👍 3.5/5

While I love this to death it really does have some conflicts within its inner workings. As a post-F13 slasher it meets the requirement of simple premise, doled-out lore, well-sketched separations of individuals from the community/group and of course effects-focused kills.

What this has that other slashers that jump on the early bandwagon is a relatively self-aware sense of humor about itself, but begins to turn serious close to the third act (if even close to turning on a dime when we get there). For most of the flick, the miner community is portrayed as almost a stand-in for your rebellious adolescent camp counselors, age-inappropriate casted high school students or the sometimes-used mish-mashed group of people whose roles in society are vaguely obscured.

It seems to turn from its approachably earnest humor towards a full dark depiction of hidden grudges and vengeance against a guilty party, but then only by inheritance, which sort of robs the film of its semi-celebration, semi-mockery of absolutes.

Still, this is a minute point that barely muddles the fun and excellent originality of a story originally drafted to compete with the slasher craze of the early 1980s. It's a seasonal watch for me and if this is still a blindspot for any fan of the genre it needs to get filled in, and quick.