MY BLOODY VALENTINE Blu-ray Review – More Than Just a “Miner” Upgrade
Starring Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Don Francks
Directed by George Mihalka
Distributed by Scream Factory
There are about a hundred-and-one slasher films out there but back in the heyday of the subgenre two of the best came from the Canada: Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (1974), a film often credited with starting the movement, and George Mihalka’s My Bloody Valentine (1981). The former relies on waves of tension for the terror, with gore taking a backseat to the creepy undercurrent. But Mihalka’s film, though notable for more than just bloodshed, was neutered by the MPAA; every death was trimmed to the bone, resulting in a loss of anywhere from 3-9 minutes depending on whom you ask. The first DVD release from Paramount presented the film in widescreen with nothing more included; the cut footage claimed to be “lost”. Lionsgate acquired the film rights some years later when producing their own 2009 remake and, lo and behold, some of that cut footage was recovered. A Blu-ray release reinstated close to three minutes, though the change in quality between the theatrical cut proper and these “new” scenes was obvious.
By comparison, this new release from Scream Factory is a revelation. The transfer on the new disc has been remastered in 4K (I am dying for the day Scream Factory starts releasing horror in proper 4K Ultra HD) and even though the reinstated footage comes from an alternate source the result of seeing everything put together is seamless. It isn’t as apparent where the theatrical footage ends and the uncut footage begins. Before I get to gushing too hard, a quick recap for those who might not be familiar with Harry Warden…
The small mining town of Valentine’s Bluff hasn’t celebrated its namesake holiday in 20 years; not since the day miner Harry Warden (Peter Cowper), who had a year prior survived a cave-in, massacred several people on February the 14th, warning the local government never to celebrate again or he’ll be back! Cut to 20 years later and the town has decided to give the infamous dance another shot – after all, Harry Warden has been locked up in a mental hospital for all this time. A group of twentysomethings – among them Sarah (Lori Hallier), her current boyfriend Axel (Neil Affleck), and her just-returned-home ex-boyfriend T.J. (Paul Kelman), whom she secretly still loves – decide to help organize the dance at a local meeting hall. This’ll be fun!
Except the mayor just received a box of chocolates that actually contains a human heart – Harry cut the hearts out of his victims – with a warning that more will die if the dance proceeds. The bodies begin to pile up faster than the cops can act and soon everyone is living with the very real fear that the old town legend, Harry Warden himself, has come back to his hometown to continue the murderous rampage he began two decades ago.
Here are three things this film gets right: the characters, the location, and the kills. Rather than stack the cast with a bunch of faceless nubile teens the roster of My Bloody Valentine is full of hardworking young adults who are just beginning to feel the weight of the real world. These people are mature and capable, making them slightly tougher prey for a returning serial killer. When the film isn’t killing off townsfolk the time spent with this ensemble is interesting, seeing their relationships defined and changed, understanding more about what these people desire and dream. I don’t want to make it sound like the film is a character study or anything but something that always stands out to me is how much I enjoy being with these characters more so than those in similar movies. Even the love triangle of Axel/Sarah/T.J. has merit because it is presented with authenticity. The small town setting keeps the activity intimate, and because this is an “everyone knows everyone” kinda place there’s a certain weight to each death since these people have such close ties. Plus, the use of an actual mine for filming – disastrous as it was – adds novelty; we aren’t spending 90 minutes on a college campus or in the woods or any other location slashers favor.
Seeing the kills restored to their former glory is the icing on the cake because, as horror fans know, mere frames can not only add extra impact but now viewers are able to see everything the talented FX team created and as it was originally intended. Hours… days… weeks of work can go into crafting special FX gags and all it takes is the arbitrary ruling of a faceless governing body of relative nobodies – read: the MPAA – and all that effort is left on the cutting room floor. This footage isn’t new and has been on disc for years but the restoration done by Scream Factory blends it more seamlessly than ever before.
Did I not gush enough about the new 4K scan? The 1.85:1 1080p image blows away the previous Blu-ray from Lionsgate, offering noticeable upticks in overall definition, fine detail, color reproduction, black levels, and as previously mentioned that uncut footage. A good deal of the film takes place during daylight hours and the picture shines exceptionally bright, with colors popping and image quality reaching the maximum limits of HD. The picture takes a bit of a hit at night or when the action moves to the mines, where black levels falter slightly and grain tends to swarm. Those are miner (sorry I had to) complaints for what is a highly satisfying image that should elate fans.
A single, simple English DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track delivers a thoughtful balance of clean dialogue and discreet sound effects along with providing a lossless soundfield for composer Paul Zaza’s fantastic score. My favorite audible moment doesn’t come until the very end, though, when “The Ballad of Harry Warden” plays over the end credits. It’s a great track. Subtitles are available in English SDH.
Special Features:
DISC 1 – Theatrical Version
- BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- NEW An Anemic Valentine – an interview with director George Mihalka
- NEW Friends of Mine – an interview with actress Lori Hallier
- NEW From the Heart – an interview with actor Paul Kelman
- NEW Axel, Be My Valentine – an interview with actor Neil Affleck
- NEW Becoming Sylvia – an interview with actress Helene Udy
- NEW The Secret Keeper – an interview with actor Rob Stein
- NEW Broken Hearts and Broken Bones – an interview with special makeup effects designer Tom Burman
- NEW Holes in the Heart – a look at the difference between the theatrical version and the uncut version
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Radio Spots
- Still Gallery
DISC 2 – Uncut Version
- BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- NEW Audio Commentary with director George Mihalka
- MY BLOODY VALENTINE 35th Anniversary Cast Reunion Panel At The Bay Of Blood Convention In Florida Featuring Director George Mihalka, Cast Members Lori Hallier, Helene Udy, Rob Stein, Peter Cowper, Thomas Kovacs, Jim Murchison, Alf Humphreys, And Hosted By Brian Singleton
- Thomas Kovacs Performs “The Ballad Of Harry Warden” At The Bay Of Blood Convention With Peter Cowper And Jim Murchison
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My Bloody Valentine
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Special Features
Summary
One of the best slasher films of the ‘80s finally gets a worthy home video release, featuring the best a/v quality yet, two cuts of the movie, and two discs worth of bonus features.
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