My Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine 3D is one of those really rare kinds of horror flicks. It delivers buckets of gore, brisk pacing, and a lot of in your face 3D goodness. Sit close to the front of your theater for the maximum effect (if you dare!). There is brutality in king size portions, sure to satisfy the most hardcore of horror fans. They really pull out all the stops with that pickaxe's of his.

Perhaps most importantly though, the production and marketing teams were aware of what it what it was. At its core, its a cheesy mindless slasher film, and rather than try to overcome this, My Bloody Valentine acknowledges this trait and works with it. It owns it. Internet ads bore slogans such as 'Its actually 4D if you're wasted.' Never does it get bogged down trying to patch together an airtight story. It just keeps its unrelenting pace up from start to finish, and delivers what the audience came out to see, gratuitous violence.

A film like this is quite refreshing for the genre, not because it is artful by any means, but because it embraces its inherent trashiness. By deliberately failing to take itself seriously, My Bloody Valentine becomes something more than the majority of its peers can ever be. It becomes fun in the same way that a Poison concert or monster truck rally is fun. Take my advice and see this thing as it was meant to be seen, through beer goggles and a pair of cheap 3D glasses. Enjoy it for what it is and don't worry about the second thoughts you might have tomorrow morning.

Horror is one of my favorite genres. Whether it is serious sophisticated horror, or loud, gory, cheesy horror, I will watch it! My Bloody Valentine is a return to the 80's style slasher genre that is so over-the-top, loud, gory, and extremely entertaining and fun! I expected nothing more and nothing less than a very good 'trashy' film, and that is what I got. The opening credits were very inventive, and from the get-go the film starts off with all the possible gore. The writing and directing are good for what the film is. The acting was not bad, even for a film of this kind. Most were OK, but both Jensen Ackles and Kerr Smith are very talented actors, and are the only ones in the film that actually give very good performances. Kerr Smith is very natural, and Jensen Ackles has always been great in the T.V. cult show, Supernatural, and he portrayed some of those talents here. Although still nothing incredibly special, but for a film like this, I think it is better that way. There are a lot of great chase scenes, and the ending was very good, more than I expected. The end credits were also fabulous. I am one of those who watched it in regular 2-D, so I am expecting even more fun with 3-D! But grab a lot of your friends, have loud stereo sound, and prepare to have a lot of fun! My Bloody Valentine is thrilling, entertaining, and even funny at times. The only recent old-style slasher film, and personally one of my horror faves!

In the mining town of Harmony, there is an accident caused by the son of the owner Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles) during a drilling, and the mine collapses burying six miners alive. The rescue team finds only Harry Warden alive but in coma and the other miners murdered punched by his pickax, and they conclude that Harry killed them to save oxygen for himself. On the Valentine's Day, Harry awakes from the coma in the local hospital, and he kills twenty-two persons, including a group of teenagers that are partying in the mine. Harry is killed by the deputy but the only survivors are Tom Hanniger, his girlfriend Sarah (Jaime King), their friend Axel Palmer (Kerr Smith) and another girl. Ten years later, Tom returns to Harmony after the death of his father decided to sell the Hanniger Mine, and finds that Sarah has married Axel, now the local sheriff, and they have a son. On the Valentine's Day, Harry Warden also returns seeking revenge against those that had escaped from his pickax in the past, and Tom is accused by Axel and other locals.

The slasher "My Bloody Valentine" is an entertaining collection of clichés that keeps tension until the last scene despite being predictable. The greatest attraction of this forgettable feature seems to be the effects of 3D in movie theaters. I have watched at home on DVD and I had lots of fun with the silly and manipulative plot. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Dia dos Namorados Macabro" ("Macabre Valentine's Day")

Pretty run of the mill slasher film but one thing it really has going for it that a lot of horror movies don't is that its not as predictable as you might expect it to be and I feel like that kind of plays a big part in why I personally enjoyed it. Cool but cheesy 3D effects, interesting plot. However I will admit one thing I feel like might be a deal breaker for some people is that if you don't like supernatural and have seen the show before, this movie might not be for you. Jensen's character acts a lot like Dean and the whole movie's plot is basically a giant supernatural episode, which if you're like me and like the show you'll definitely like the movie but if you don't this movie might be a turn off.

The use of three dimensional effects have not been a part of cinema for over twenty years, with IMAX the exception, but now it is back and better than ever in 2009. During "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," the audience will experience large pickaxes, flying bullets and tree limbs coming out of the screen and into your lap. At times the effect seems gimmicky as the story forces the occurrence of projectiles moving through the air and other times the three dimensional effects hit it just right. When you see the film you will know when the effect works; the mesmerizing visuals are sometimes jaw-dropping, literally.

Writers Tom Farver and Zane Smith keep the pace up throughout "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," right until the end when it appears that a miner, with grievances will take on a whole town. Right from the beginning the story starts off with a woman on the run from a mysterious figure, behind a breathing mask who seems to delight in wrecking other people's good time. The start to the movie is explosive and the film does not back down from creating a suspenseful horror flick that is simply out to horrify and be fun. At times the dialogue or introduction of characters into scenes comes off as slightly campy, but the delivery of lines in each scene is generating intensity for the final climactic act.

The plot of this horror film is somewhat conventional with Tom Hanniger returning to his hometown in order to heal some past misgivings at the hands of a bloody serial killer. "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," mostly centres on the character of Tom Hanniger, with Sarah and Axel Palmer supporting. Adding enough smaller characters to keep the story complex and creating enough diverging plot lines to keep things tight "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," does a good job of keeping the killer's identity mysterious while piquing viewer's curiosity. Instead of going for a closed box Hollywood ending the film slightly steps it up by leaving the ending open for a sequel. Some of the most successful film franchises come from the horror genre and "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," might be trying to capitalize on future returns by delivering a plot twist that slightly disappoints.

Lighting, environments, and music are all spot on, only the overacting of certain characters distracts from an otherwise excellent horror film. Many of the scenes within "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," take place in darkly lit mine shafts or the interiors of houses, at night and the overall tone feels like a thriller while showing enough gore to entertain horror fans. The music in the film is subtle enough while picking up the pace slightly during action sequences. On the other hand, the musical score of "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," could have been much more eerie in order to build up further tension. The acting of Jaimie King comes off as pretentious and somewhat naive while Kerr Smith, appearing to take his role of a small time sheriff a little too seriously displays some awkwardness. The rest of the actors including veterans; Tom Atkins and Kevin Tighe play their smaller parts well; Jensen Ackles, could have taken a darker approach to his character, in order to truly deliver a role of someone who is struggling with the trauma of past brutal events but the portrayal is still good.

Overall "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," delivers an entertaining ride through dark alleys, mine shafts and the evil minds of writers Todd Farmer and Zane Smith. Slightly on the lighter side of the horror genre this film develops enough jump scares, with the help of three dimensional effects to deliver a fun and fast 101 minutes. See this one with a friend and laugh out loud when a 20' branch comes screaming at your head (and try not to duck)! 6 Mesmerizing Skulls out of 10.