My Bloody Valentine 3D

2009. Directed by Patrick Lussier.

I saw My Blood Valentine 3D in it’s theatrical run and was thoroughly impressed, now that I’ve had the chance to watch it on DVD it’s limitations are revealed. Even so, it’s a successful remake, and an unpretentious throwback to the 80’s slasher genre.

I’m not a technical expert in 3D, but I’ve been disappointed by all home versions I’ve seen thus far. My Bloody Valentine was the best 3D DVD experience I’ve had. Most of the 3D gags worked quite well, there was very little double imaging and I didn’t get an enormous headache. It’s technical aspects are top notch.

The gore effects are well done, my favorite being a girl’s head cut off at the jaw line by a shovel. The acting is respectable and the bait and switch ending comes as a genuine surprise. Without giving too much away, the entire film is an exercise in misdirection, and I appreciate how effective it was.

The killer is exquisitely menacing. Harry Warden looks absolutely brutal in full miner’s regalia including his iconic gas mask. He’s certainly one of the most memorable masked killers of slasher cinema.

My Bloody Valentine works as well as it does mostly because it is NOT a remake of a classic in the genre. Although the original My Bloody Valentine is fondly remembered it doesn’t hold the weight of Friday the 13th, Halloween, or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, so a remake seems slightly less sacrilegious. Those movies are embedded in the collective consciousness, their villains are pop culture icons. It’s distressing to see those movies re-done. It’s like our childhood is being repackaged and sold to us, with none of the magic or artistry that we remember so well.

There is a wealth of movies that are perfect to be remade. Those horror films that were not fully successful the first time out. With proper budgets and the right people on the project, they can give life to stories that weren’t as well received in their original form. That should be the goal of a good remake. To capitalize on the positive aspects of a story and improve upon it’s weaknesses.

Unfortunately the remake system is only being used to make a quick buck off of horror movie fans who are so desperate for new material, that they’ll go see remakes that they know they will hate, just to have a glance at their favorite characters again. My Bloody Valentine is an example of a remake done for what I believe are the right reasons. It stayed true to the spirit of the original and made it’s own innovations where it could.