Introduction
Starting as early as 1974, the ‘holiday slasher flick’ began gaining traction. Films like Black Christmas (1974), Halloween (1978), and Friday the 13th (1980) all turned a profit. Thus, further cementing this new subgenre. This would also bolster Canadian filmmaker George Mihalka and Cinepix Productions to make Mihalka’s second feature film (after Pick-Up Summer in 1980). A holiday-themed horror movie called My Bloody Valentine (1981). Almost forty-five years later, it remains one of the defining slasher films of the last half-century.
“…And as far as slasher films go, of course, I love Halloween and all those. But as time’s gone on, I think My Bloody Valentine may be my favorite…”
-Quentin Tarantino
Synopsis
A big Valentine’s Day dance party is being planned for the small mining town of Valentine Bluffs, Nova Scotia. This may prove to be a problem, however, as twenty years earlier, a methane gas explosion trapped and eventually killed a group of local coal miners. In the early 1960s, the miners were working in the Hanniger Mine, just outside of Valentine Bluffs when the foremen in charge of safety left the mine to attend a Valentine’s Day party and dance. Thus allowing the explosion to happen in the first place.
Six weeks after the explosion, Harry Warden (Peter Cowper), the sole survivor, is rescued. His method of survival was to eat his dead co-workers. This eventually drove poor Harry mad and he was sent to an institution. Much like the unstoppable Michael Myers in Halloween, Harry escapes on the first anniversary of the explosion. Valentine’s Day. He tracks down the two negligent foremen, killing them. Putting their hearts in candy boxes, he leaves a note to never have another Valentine’s Day dance again…Or else.
Twenty years later, a group of young miners plan the first Valentine’s Day party in decades. When Mayor Hanniger (Larry Reynolds) and the town’s chief of police, Jake Newby (Don Francks), receive a box of candy with a human heart in it, the dance is quickly canceled. The miners, and their girlfriends, still want to party regardless. They of course decide to head for the mines to have some Valentine’s Day fun. When the bodies start piling up, it appears that Harry Warden has returned to punish all those who would not listen.
Production
Filming on My Bloody Valentine began in September 1980 primarily in the Princess Colliery Mine in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, Canada. To say this was a challenging shoot is an understatement. The cast and crew were filming in a real coal mine and dealing with tight and constricting spaces. There was also the lengthy travel time to get to and from the filming locations which were deep underground. Then, of course, there were the safety issues that had to be carefully implemented as well as the methane levels of the mine to be carefully monitored.
The owners of the mine, which had ceased operating in 1975, did their best to ‘clean it up’ to make it more presentable for a film shoot. The result was a ‘Disneyland-like’ atmosphere, as compared to the grit and grime-filled reality of what a ‘real’ coal mine looked like. With a budget of only $2.3 million, the production team had to get every dollar they could up on the screen for maximum effect. Real local miners were also hired to help train the young actors to get acclimated to working daily in the mine.
The team had also considered filming in a mine located in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. However, they ultimately decided on the Sydney Mines. This was because the Sydney Mines were in a much drearier location with very little around it. In addition to all of this, the race was on the get the finished product in theaters by Valentine’s Day 1981. The filmmakers had a distribution deal with Paramount that was wholly dependent on this. George Mihalka spoke to The Terror Trap in 2005:
“Paramount and Frank Mancuso were willing to do a pick up and a national distribution…as long as we could get it out for Valentine’s Day. With the kind of technology we had to use in those days, it was an incredible challenge…We had to be ready to open in 1,200 theaters across North America…but we were young. (Laughs.) If you can’t meet a challenge when you’re young, when are you gonna do it?”
Post Production
My Bloody Valentine was originally titled ‘The Secret.’ This is because Paramount was afraid someone would discover what they were doing and try to churn out a cheap and quick knock-off before they could get their film into theaters. The cast and crew had no clue that the film was going to be called My Bloody Valentine. They also were never told who the masked killer was until the final day of shooting. This was done to keep the group of largely inexperienced actors on edge and get more realistic performances.
Problems emerged during post-production when the MPAA took objection to the extremely violent kills that George Mihalka and writer John Beaird created. At one point, the ratings Board told the filmmakers to not even bother cutting out scenes. They were going to get the dreaded X rating regardless. This would be a death sentence in trying to get a wide release. Eventually, enough cuts were made to garner an R rating. Mihalka referred to it as ‘Death of a Thousand Cuts.’
Release
Legacy
Like so many other slasher films from the late 70s and early 80s, My Bloody Valentine has gained cult status amongst teens and college students. In addition, the theatergoers, now in their mid to late 50s, look back fondly on the film. Also, like other films of the genre, it’s getting a critical reanalysis decades later. In 2007 Entertainment Weekly had the film ranked #17 in its list of ‘guilty pleasures.’ Right up there alongside such classics as Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Escape from New York (1981).
For more than three decades viewers were unable to see the uncut and unedited version of My Bloody Valentine. As recently as 2002, Paramount stated that the cut footage was ‘missing’ and ‘did not exist.’ Finally, in 2009, Lionsgate released a Special Edition Region 1 DVD and Blu-Ray featuring never-before-seen footage. Approximately two-and-a-half minutes of footage of George Mihalka’s vision was restored for the masses to enjoy. It is still widely believed that to this day, there is still more footage that has never been seen…and likely never will.
