Happy Valentine’s Day Bidite Nation!! We here at HorrorBid strive to bring out the horrors of all the holidays, and this one is no exception. I’m sure some of you have great quiet evenings planned with your loved one. Exchanging boxes of chocolates, arranging those roses so that they are just right, and even planning some intimate memories behind closed doors, all of these make Valentine’s Day truly special!...

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Some, on the other hand, are just going to enjoy another night, one like every other. Dateless or not, you can still eat your own chocolate, light some candles, and even watch miners get slaughtered by Harry Warden in MY BLOODY VALENTINE. The question is which version do you watch? The 1981 Canadian version, or the 2009 American 3D one? Fear not fellow bidites! Today we will compare each film, so that in the end it will be clear as to which film to watch.

In the tradition of other holiday themed slashers, such as HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH, It was only natural that Cinepix Productions follows the trend in the states and make their own holiday horror film, changing the name of a script from “The Secret” to “My Bloody Valentine.”

The film plays out like any other slasher in the early 80s. What some would say is a direct rip off of HALLOWEEN, with the maniac escaping from a mental hospital, I say it’s just from the same mold, and yet still has some originality to it. Having the hearts in the Valentine’s Day boxes was a very nice touch, and just as it did to the characters, the audience gets shivers when one appears on the screen. Having younger adults fight for their time to party, and eventually rebelling against local authorities, was a staple of 80s films. From FOOTLOOSE to RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, it is clear that teens will do whatever it takes to have a good time.

The acting both helped and hurt the film, as the supporting actors gave decent performances as regular locals that are wild and crazy. Paul Kelman had a good go as the lead male who ends up becoming the hero, him and Neil Affleck’s feud over Sarah was one that was genuine, and was a subplot that you couldn’t help but follow. It seemed that with the more emotional scenes, such as Sarah & T.J.’s moment where they visit a spot in which they traveled to all the time when they were together, lacked realism and seemed forced by the actors. The casual conversations held amongst the characters were ones that appeared to be natural and really helped pace the film well. 

It’s sad that this film gets swept under the rug of “slasher rip offs,” as it truly is a unique film, that deserves more viewing that it has received. Over the years, like all of the great 80s horror flicks, MY BLOODY VALENTINE gained a cult following as it lived on for decades to come on home video.

20 years after the original, in 2001 original director George Mihalka and producers John Dunning & Andre Link approached Paramount with a proposed idea for a sequel to the 1981 cult classic, they declined then, and again in 2006. The plot for the sequel would follow characters from the original movie. Sarah and TJ would have since married, with Sarah as the sheriff of Valentine Bluffs. The mine, turned into a fairground thrill-ride, would have become the centre of a new bloodbath.

In 2009 Lionsgate released a remake of the film “MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D,” which I believe was the first horror 3D film since FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE, and it also continued the remake trend of the 2000s and launched a new one as well. Since the release of the film, almost every horror film, and movies in other genres as well, have gotten the 3D treatment, and it doesn’t look to be ending anytime soon. I had the chance to see the remake in theaters and I must say that the 3D was some of the best I’ve seen, as far as how they used it.

The remake is a nice take on a film that obviously didn’t have a huge budget, and was considered more or less to be a rip off. The plot was tweaked a bit, keeping the same characters but changing a few minor details. Sarah still dated T.J or Tom in this one, and Tom went off and came back due to his father’s passing and inherits the mine. He is back to sell it when the old flame between the two reignites; however, Sarah is married to Axel now, who is also the sheriff, and the story plays out like the original almost to a tee. The biggest problem I had with the plot of the remake is the ending. I loved how it wasn’t exactly the same as the original, it helped the film a lot more by not making it a complete copy of the 1981 flick. The killer is reveal and a nice montage is played showing how the murders really played out in the film, but what I didn’t understand is why? Why did the person who turned out to be the Warden copycat do it?

This film goes at a much faster pace than the first one, and the 3-D actually helped the film, whereas most nowadays only hurt it. The acting in this one is similar to the original in which many of the performances are average and don’t really stick out that well. Jaime King does a polar opposite with original actors. She shined when it came to her more emotional scenes, yet I felt she was lost in the shuffle with it came to more everyday natural conversations with friends. Tom Atkins, returns to the big screen in this one as well, should he have ever left??? Todd Farmer, who is slowly settling into his spot in the horror world, did a great job writing a redo, bringing new aspects into the film and yet respecting the foundation of the original. As I mentioned earlier this film, opened the floodgates for other companies to take that risk and venture into the 3-D realm. Some had great payoffs life PIRANHA 3D, and some not so much, MY SOUL TO TAKE.

So you’ve just lit the candles, you have the 1981 MY BLOODY VALENTINE in your left hand, and MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D in your right one, which do you choose? Well in I feel you should choose the original film. The remake is a good film but its just that a good film. You can’t really appreciate how good of a revisioning it is until you see the original and have the Harry Warden legend engraved in your head. The pace of the first one is much along the same pace of FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) and is a must see for any die hard horror fan. You MUST see the extended cut that Lionsgate released in 2009 when the remake did come out, 3 whole minutes of cut footage that Is really great. Don’t forget to check YOUR heart shaped box on this Valentine’s Day, because you may be seeing more red than you could have ever imagine. Happy Valentine’s Day Bidites!!!

Written by HorrorBid columnist: Patrick Farmer

Source: HorrorBid