My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee
“It can’t be happening again!”—Mayor Hanniger (Larry Reynolds)
A bunch of youngsters readying themselves for a Valentine’s Day Party. This is the first party on this day in twenty years and for good reason. As we find out from the bartender, five miners were killed in an explosion, leaving only one alive…one that got revenge on the supervisors that left him there. He used a pickaxe to kill them and stole their hearts, placing them in candy boxes. He vowed to go on a killing spree if they ever tried to have a Valentine’s Party again, and they are tempting fate. Do you think that he’s going to come back? The bartender sure does. He does conceal his identity behind a mask, so perhaps it’s not him, but a character in the film…
 OK, we start off with some great scenes. The Mayor (Larry Reynolds) gets a heart shaped candy box. He is so excited and he is even going to share the candy with his friend, Chief Jake Newby (Don Francks). A poem and a human heart prompt the Mayor to cry and say over and over again, “It can’t be happening again.”
Now, we have an old man telling the history/legend of the infamous killer, Harry Warden. Another element that is here is the fact that a Harry Warden was committed to an insane asylum…where most killers usually escape from. Unfortunately, they have no record of him.
Now another part of this story is the fight between two miners over the love of  one girl, Sarah (Lori Hallier). TJ (Paul Kellman) and Axel (Neil Affleck) cannot get along and nearly get into fist fights every time that they meet. We also have Howard Landers (Alf Humphreys), the prankster that many horror films have… He thinks he’s funny, but nobody else really does.
After a few deaths, the Mayor bans all Valentine Day decorations and parties, but the foolish children won’t obey and have a secret party in the mine, leading to a bloodbath. The killer is wearing a miner’s costume and the death scenes are done well. He comes out of nowhere but I hesitate to call them entirely cheap scares. They do create a creepy atmosphere and the killer is great. His anger and proficiency with the pickaxe are amusing.
 1981 brought us The Evil Dead, The Burning, and Madman, and this is another great entry. It was a great year for horror. I highly recommend this movie. From start to finish, it is an entertaining and fun ride. This is a must see for any slasher fan and I am a huge slasher fan! The characters are well developed, the dialogue is good, the acting is very good, and the story is interesting, although not all that unique. It followed the successful slasher formula that the 1980s brought the horror fan and there is nothing wrong with that.
I want to mention. Much like Madman Marz, Harry Warden has his own theme music…I love it. The ending to this movie is something to behold too…pretty good stuff.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10. Harry Warden is my Valentine.
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