My Bloody Valentine Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

My Bloody Valentine Blu-ray Movie Review

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.

My Bloody Valentine Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"My Bloody Valentine" was initially released on Blu-ray in 2009, and now returns 11 years later offering a "4K scan of the original camera negative" for the Theatrical Version (90:27) and the Uncut Version (93:02). The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentations are largely similar, offering strong colors throughout, encouraging vivid reds and pinks on holiday decorations, and costuming retains period hues. Greenery is precise, Skintones are natural. Being such a dark picture that spends long stretches of time inside a mine, delineation survives, delivering a proper sense of fabric and distance, while shadow play is preserved. Detail handles well, offering enjoyable facial particulars (with strange mustache styles) and town distances. Makeup achievements are displayed in full. For the Uncut Version, a few of the kills make brief use of an alternate source to fill in the blanks, and these can be found at 3:02, 52:57, and 68:39. Screencaps 6 and 7 showcase the visual difference. Again, these additions last mere seconds, with the goal to provide the most complete version of "My Bloody Valentine" to date.

My Bloody Valentine Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't built for expanse, but the listening event retains an enjoyable sense of mine atmospherics and sound effects, adding to the strange setting. Dialogue exchanges are appealing, with crisp emphasis and emotionality, and the group dynamic is easy to follow. Scoring cues are compelling, supporting suspense needs with milder but effective instrumentation. Strangely, the Theatrical Version has normal levels, while the Uncut Version requires a substantial boost in volume to reach its cinematic potential.

My Bloody Valentine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Extended Cut

• Intro (:23, HD) offers a welcome to the "My Bloody Valentine" disc from director George Mihalka.

• Commentary features Mihalka.

• "35th Anniversary Cast Reunion" (46:54, HD) pays a visit to the 2016 Bay of Blood horror convention in Tampa, Florida, where select members of the "My Bloody Valentine" cast and director Mihalka take the stage to share anecdotes concerning the making of the picture and its surprising cult appeal. Also included on the panel are Rob Stein, Thomas Kovacs, Peter Cowper, Helene Udy, Alf Humphreys, Lori Hallier, and Jim Murchison.

• "Thomas Kovacs Performs 'The Ballad of Harry Warden'" (5:03, HD) returns to the Bay of Blood, with fans decorating a conference space to resemble the Valentine's Day party that never was, joined by Kovacs and a few other actors to serenade the dancing conventioneers. Some photos from the convention floor are included.

• "My Anemic Valentine" (24:09, HD) returns to Mihalka, who explores such topics as project origins, the mystery of the killer's identity, the backstory of T.J. and his unexplained absence, challenges working inside a real mine, deleted scenes, MPAA battles, the wonders of practical effects, his own directorial influence, casting, feelings on the Canadian horror boom, the cult legacy of "My Bloody Valentine," his opinion on the 2009 remake, the possibility of a sequel, and his memories of Alf Humphreys, who passed away in 2018. Overall, it's interesting to listen to Mihalka reflect on his most famous creation, which he's spent a good portion of his career trying to deny.

• "From the Heart" (14:15, HD) is an interview with actor Paul Kelman, and topics include the mystery of the killer's identity, the backstory of T.J. and his unexplained absence, mine experiences and environmental challenges, fight experience for the climactic scene, memories of deleted moments, reflection on character choices, feelings on the Canadian horror boom, the cult legacy of "My Bloody Valentine," thoughts on the remake, cast enthusiasm for the production, and memories of Alf Humphreys and Keith Knight, who passed away in 2007.

• "Axel, Be My Bloody Valentine" (14:48, HD) is an interview with actor Neil Affleck, and topics include the mystery of the killer's identity, his respect for Peter Cowper (who actually portrayed The Miner), memories of deleted scenes, filming locations, the challenges of working inside a real mine, his relationship with Mihalka, feelings on the Canadian horror boom, the cult legacy of "My Bloody Valentine," revisiting the movie with his kids, thoughts on the remake, and memories of Alf Humphreys.

• "Friends of Mine" (19:20, HD) is an interview with actress Lori Hallier, and topics include the mystery of the killer's identity, filming locations, the challenges of working inside a real mine, memories of deleted scenes, her relationship with Mihalka, cast camaraderie, feelings on the Canadian horror boom, the cult legacy of "My Bloody Valentine," memories of Alf Humphreys and Keith Knight, and personal interest in a sequel.

• "Becoming Sylvia" (17:17, HD) is an interview with actress Helene Udy, and topics include the mystery of the killer's identity, filming locations (which didn't include any time in the mine), her approach to a death scene, working with practical effects, thoughts on a possible sequel, the cult legacy of "My Bloody Valentine," and memories of Alf Humphreys.

• "Broken Hearts and Broken Bones" (10:36, HD) is an interview with special makeup effects designer Tom Burman, who shares the story of his initial hiring for "My Bloody Valentine" and his work in Canada, bringing his Hollywood education to a new frontier of genre filmmaking. Burman highlights growing hostilities between Canada and L.A., and his distaste for slasher entertainment, quickly leaving the subgenre after his work on "My Bloody Valentine."

• "The Secret Keeper" (27:25, HD) is an interview with actor Rob Stein, and topics include his initial hiring, the mystery of the killer's identity, filming locations, memories of deleted scenes, his prior relationship with Mihalka (playing a small role in the helmer's previous movie, "Pick-up Summer"), feelings on the Canadian horror boom, the cult legacy of "My Bloody Valentine," memories of Alf Humphreys, his longstanding friendship with Helene Udy, and he shares a few anecdotes concerning his time on the picture.

• "Holes in the Heart" (12:29, HD) provides a side-by-side comparison of the Theatrical Version and the Uncut Version, detailing just how much the MPAA gutted "My Bloody Valentine" before its initial 1981 release.

• Still Gallery (11:41) collects publicity shots, film stills, BTS snaps, and poster art.

• Radio Spots (1:01) offer two ads for "My Bloody Valentine."

• T.V. Spots (1:32, HD) provide three commercials for the movie.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:11, HD) is included.

My Bloody Valentine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"My Bloody Valentine" isn't snappy entertainment, offering a more leisurely pace as Mihalka arranges his kills, and while the acting is enthusiastic, the cast hits some painfully shrill melodramatic beats along the way, blending gore zone visits with scenes from "Degrassi Junior High." The picture isn't quite the nail-biting viewing experience it's meant to be, but there are moments of intensity and unique offerings of pursuit, and all is forgiven with the conclusion, with is a thing of demented beauty. "My Bloody Valentine" is rough around the edges, but in a crowded marketplace of slashers during a time when everyone was making a killing making movies about killings, the endeavor is memorable in a few ways, with Mihalka making a clear effort to add his own eye for violence to the trend.