Blu-ray Review – My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Trying to compete with the big titles of American slasher entertainment in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Canada delivers "My Bloody Valentine," which was partially funded by taxpayer money. In return for government coin, viewers receive an idiosyncratic horror endeavor, where a pack of twentysomething miners and the women who love them are forced to survive the dangers of Valentine's Day, dodging pickaxe swings from a forgotten killer who's returned to make sure nobody celebrates the holiday. Director George Mihalka has a distinct setting for the tale, which takes place in a remote mining town, with most of the action heading into the depths to take advantage of dark passageways and claustrophobic spaces. While it lacks production polish, "My Bloody Valentine" has a different sort of appreciation for character and masked menace, while Mihalka serves up the gore with a few inventive kills, trying to remain as intense as possible within subgenre expectations. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com