My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Directed by George Mihalka. Starring Paul Kelman, Neil Affleck, Lori Hallier, Don Francis, Keith Knight, Cynthia Dale, Larry Reynolds, Alf Humphreys. [R]

Slightly above-average early-80s slasher cheapie doesn’t change the formula much, emphasizing kills and shocks over suspense and logic. A Valentine’s Day-centric horror movie involving a fully-geared and masked miner on a killing spree makes for a peculiar aesthetic—lots of hearts (paper and flesh) fill the screen in the first half while the final act takes place deep in a dark, dirty mine. Polished but low on style and (surprisingly) gore, as it was the victim of heavy MPAA censorship; full of the usual awkward dialogue and crude performances. The “surprise” revelation rates pretty high on the oh-come-on meter, and the ending sets up a sequel that never materialized. It was followed by a 3D remake almost thirty years later, but it’s not much of an improvement—stick with the shoegaze-y rock band instead.

39/100