My Bloody Valentine (film)

Love, Pyro.

"Once upon a time On a sad Valentine In a place known as Hanniger Mine A legend began Every woman and man Would always remember the time And those who remain Were never the same You could see the fear in their eyes Once every year As the 14th draws near There's a hush all over the town For the legend they say On a Valentine's Day Is a curse that'll live on and on" —The Ballad of Harry Warden

A 1981 holiday-themed Canadian Slasher Movie directed by George Mihalka.

Twenty years ago, in the sleepy mining town of Valentine Bluffs, a methane gas explosion at Hanniger Coal Mine trapped five miners in a shaft when the foremen who were supposed to be supervising left to go to a Valentine's Day party (similiar to the absentee camp counsellors in Friday the 13 th). Six weeks later, the sole survivor of the accident, Harry Warden, was rescued; he survived by eating his dead coworkers and ultimately had gone mad. After a year in a mental institution, he escaped on Valentine's Day, killing and cutting out the heart of the guilty foremen, leaving a warning that the same would happen if the town ever again held a Valentine's Day celebration. With this nothing but a distant memory and Harry supposedly back in the institution, the town is now throwing another party. Murders of the same manner as before start cropping up, and the town sheriff orders the party shut down. But the requisite bunch of none-too-bright teenagers ain't happy about this and elope to host the party in secret up at the mine instead. Big mistake...

Known for having nine minutes constituting the gorier killings lopped off of it to comply with the MPAA. In 2009, the movie had a remake in 3D, named aptly: My Bloody Valentine 3D; which was something of a So Bad It's Good Affectionate Parody. The remake coincided with a DVD release of the original movie, which had the cut footage reincluded.

Quentin Tarantino said that this is his favorite Slasher Movie.

Not to be confused with the somewhat more famous band, which took its name from this film and don't have near as many instances of people getting brutally murdered.

The original film provides examples of the following tropes:

• Abandoned Area: A significant portion of the mine.
• Absurdly Sharp Blade: The knife Axel uses to cut his own crushed arm off.
• The Alleged Car: Most of them.
• Awesome but Practical: Along with concealing his identity and looking just plain scary, the killer's mask can also be used to blind victims with the attached light.
• Axe Before Entering: The killer hacks through some boards at least once.
• Badass Mustache: Hollis.
• The Ballad of Harry Warden.
• The Bartender: Happy.
• The Big Guy: Hollis.
• Black Eyes of Evil: Invoked by the gas mask eyeholes, which seem to be pure black in every scene except one.
• Blond Guys Are Evil: Axel, the only blond main guy in the film.
• Blood Is Squicker in Water: Sylvia gets impaled on a broken shower nozzle, which the killer then turns on.
• Blood Spattered Innocents: Jenny and Patty get covered Howard's blood after a noose cuts his head off, and a young Axel got splattered in his father's blood as Harry killed him.
• Boom! Headshot!: Hollis gets a nail shot into the temple, then right between the eyes.
• Brain In a Jar: One is on a shelf in the morgue.
• Breast Attack: The first victim gets a pickaxe through the back and out a breast, which has a heart tattoo on it.
• Calling Card: Hearts in candy boxes, and threatening Valentine's Day cards.
• Canada, Eh?
• Carry a Big Stick: Axel whacks TJ with a log after mistaking him for the killer.
• Cassandra Truth: Happy, sorta.
• The Cavalry Arrives Late: Chief Newby, Mayor Hanniger and their posse reach the mine just after Axel is caught in a cave-in.
• Chase Scene
• Closed Circle: The mine.
• Cool Mask
• The Coroner: He's perfectly fine with handling a fresh human heart with his bare hands.
  • Actually, if you look closely he's wearing very thin clear nylon gloves. You can see the edges of them just under the sleeves of the white doctor coat. It certainly LOOKS like he's handling it with his bare hands, though.
• The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: The stabbed and immolated Mabel is listed as having died of a heart attack, so as not to panic the townspeople.
• Cruel and Unusual Death:
  • Mabel getting pickaxed and shoved into a clothes dryer.
  • Dave being drowned in a boiling pot filled with hotdogs.
  • Sylvia getting impaled through the head by a broken pipe, which proceeds to shoot water out of her mouth.
• Curiosity Killed the Cast: Hollis dies looking for Mike and Harriet.
• Cutesy Name Town: Valentine Bluffs.
• Cut Phone Lines
• Dangerous Workplace: The mine, of course.
• Dead Man's Chest: Dave's body is literally Stuffed in The Fridge.
• Death by Mocking: Howard and Happy.
• Death by Sex: The first victim, Sylvia, and Mike and Harriet.
• Down in the Dumps: TJ, Axel and the others hung out there a lot when they were younger.
• Dramatic Unmask: Sarah tackles the killer and pulls off his gas mask when he comes at TJ with a knife, revealing Axel's face.
• Drop What You Are Doing: John, when he finds Sylvia's body.
• The Eighties
• Everyone Is a Suspect
• Executive Meddling: Paramount infamously refused to allow the film's director to attempt to reassemble the film's original cut when the film was first released upon DVD, nor did they allow any sort of supplementary material to be filmed with the director or the actors involved in the film (as at the time, Paramount didn't think their slasher back catalog worthy of DVD extras or anything other than a bare boned release).
• Eye Scream: Happy's death.
• Failed a Spot Check: While getting beer out of a fridge, John fails to notice the killer stuffed Dave's body into it.
• Fight Scene: Between Axel and TJ, during the party.
• Final Girl: Sarah.
• Five-Finger Fillet: Played by Axel and Hollis.
• Flash Back: Harry's origin is shown through a series of them.
  • Flashback Cut: Used to show Axel was present when Harry killed his father.
• Flipping the Bird: Axel gives it, after losing to Hollis in the knife game they were playing in the bar.
• Freudian Excuse: Axel was traumatized as a child by witnessing Harry violently kill his father, one of the neglectful mine supervisors.
• Foreshadowing: "Oh, come on, you'd forget your head if it wasn't tied on with rope!"
• Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Sarah smacks Patty when she refuses to leave Hollis's body.
• Gorn
• Gory Discretion Shot: Only if you're watching the cut version.
• Grumpy Old Man: Happy.
• Hair of Gold: Sarah.
• Harmful to Minors: Axel witnessing Harry butcher his father.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Axel haphazardly swinging his pickaxe around in an unstable area causes a collapse.
• Hope Spot: The elevator and ladder.
• Hooks and Crooks: Happy's body was stuck on one.
• Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: Along with Valentine's Day, there's also a chunk of the film set on Friday the 13th.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Hollis and Patty.
• Hysterical Woman: Patty after Hollis's death.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Via a drill.
• Improvised Weapon: Pickaxe, clothes dryer, shower pipe, industrial drill, nailgun, log, shovel and rock.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: While hanging from some rafters, Howard mentions he has "a hangover".
• Ironic Nursery Tune: Axel sings his own version of "Daddy's Gone-A-Huntin" while stumbling off into the mine.
• Jack the Ripoff: Axel.
• Knife Nut: After losing his pickaxe, the killer goes after TJ with a knife.
• Laughing Mad: Axel, in the end.
• Let's Split Up, Gang!: When looking for Mike and Harriet.
• Life or Limb Decision: After being pinned by rubble, Axel escapes by cutting his own arm off.
• Lingerie Scene: Right at the beginning.
• Local Hangout: The Cage.
• Love Triangle: Sarah, Axel and TJ.
• Male Gaze: As Sarah and Patty are climbing a ladder.
• Malevolent Masked Men
• Menacing Stroll
• Minecart Madness: TJ and the killer do battle on a set of moving minecarts.
• Mirror Scare: Right before a supervisor's death in a flashback.
• Mr. Exposition: Happy.
• Murderer POV
• Nail'Em: Hollis's death via a nail gun.
• No Party Like a Donner Party: Harry survived being trapped in the collapsed mine by killing and eating the other trapped miners.
• Off with His Head: Howard was actually hung, but apparently the drop was so high that the rope had enough force to decapitate him.
• Ominous Fog
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Happy, possibly. TJ's real name (Jessie) is also only used once.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: TJ, most noticeably.
• Peek-a-Boo Corpse: Mabel's charred body popping out a clothes dryer, and Happy's body coming down with a bunch of mining uniforms.
• Playing Possum: While crossing a small bridge, Axel breaks part of the rail, screams, and throws his hat into the water, to make himself out to be a victim.
• Police Are Useless: They don't really do anything.
• Powerful Pick
• Pun-Based Title: My Funny Valentine.
• Reaction Shot
• Re Cut: The assassination of John Lennon led to a backlash against violence in the media, resulting in the film being trimmed considerably. Thankfully, a decent amount of footage survived, and was reinstated in the 2009 Special Edition.
• Red Herring: Harry Warden died five years ago.
• The Reveal: Axel is the killer.
• Rival Turned Evil: Axel.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Harry killing the foremen whose negligence resulted in him being trapped in the mine.
• Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue: One is dead, and so are you!
• Scream Discretion Shot: Mabel's death.
• See You in Hell: "Hanniger! I'll be waiting in Hell for you!"
• Sequel Hook: An injured Axel runs off into the mines, ranting to himself and vowing revenge on the entire town.
• Shower Scene: An all male example.
• The Sheriff: Chief Jake Newby.
• Shovel Strike: TJ fights the killer off with one.
• Similarly Named Works: Besides the band, there was a slasher novel titled My Bloody Valentine released in The Nineties.
• Small Town Boredom: Why TJ left Valentine Bluffs for the West Coast. As he put, "I fell on my ass out there", so he had to come crawling back home.
• Stay in the Kitchen: There's a rule about no women in the mine.
• The Stoner: Howard, judging by his hat, which prominently displays a marijuana leaf.
• Stuff Blowing Up: How Harry got trapped in the mine.
• Title Drop: "Sarah, be My Bloody Valentine!"
• Title In: February 12th, 13th and 14th.
• This Cannot Be!: Mayor Hanniger's reaction to the first heart and note sent by the killer.
• This Is a Drill: Mike and Harriet are found skewered by a big one.
• Ultimate Authority Mayor: Mayor Hanniger.
• Vader Breath
• Villainous Breakdown: Axel goes batshit in the end.
• Visual Pun: Hollis's hat has the words "Kiss My" printed on it, above a picture of a donkey.
• Wait Here: Said by Hollis and TJ to Patty, Sarah and Howard before they go looking for Mike and Harriet.
• Weapon of Choice: A pickaxe.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: TJ and Mayor Hanniger.
• We Used to Be Friends: TJ and Axel.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: So, exactly who was the woman who got killed in the opening?
• Wild Teen Party: Older than teens, but the principal is the same.
• Villain Opening Scene
• Villain Song: The Ballad of Harry Warden, which plays over the credits.
• Vomiting Cop: Close. Upon finding Mabel's body, Chief Newby starts gagging a lot.

The remake provides examples of the following tropes:

• 3-D Movie
• Abandoned Area: Tunnel Number 5, and the old Palmer house.
• All There in the Manual: A deleted scene reveals the shovel victim ("Teen Straggler") is named Brandy.
• Alone with the Psycho: Tom, for a little bit at the beginning.
• Arrow Cam: When Sarah shoots Tom in the side.
• Asshole Victim: Frank and Red.
• Axe Before Entering: The killer takes the supermarket's "Knock Before Entering" sign to its logical extreme.
• Bald of Evil: Harry.
• Bar Brawl: The patrons don't take too kindly to Tom showing up at the local bar.
• The Bartender: Sam.
• Black Best Friend: Deputy Martin.
• Black Bra and Panties: Sarah is at least wearing the former in the prologue.
• Black Eyes of Evil: Like the original, the gas mask appears to have black holes for eyes.
• Blood Spattered Innocents: After Harry gets shot, some of his blood splashes onto Tom's face.
• Bloody Handprint: In the hospital after the massacre, and on the Palmers' dryer after Rosa's death.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Right before the credits, Tom glares directly at the camera. And after the credits roll, Harry Warden appears walking through the mind and stabs the camera with a pick axe..
• Broken Heel: Axel trips while running from Harry in the opening.
• Broomstick Quarterstaff: Megan tries fighting the killer off with a mop.
• Calling Card: The cut out hearts placed in candy boxes.
• Cast as a Mask: Chris Carnel played both Harry and Tom in miner gear.
• Chase Scene
• Conspicuous CG: In some of the deaths, most noticeably Jim's.
• Convenient Coma: Harry fell into one after being rescued from the mine.
• Cool Mask
• Cool Old Guy: Burke.
• Couldn't Find a Pen: The hearts drawn in blood and "BE MINE 4 EVER".
• Creator Cameo: Writer Todd Farmer plays Frank the Trucker.
• Curiosity Killed the Cast: Selene is killed looking for her dog.
• Curtain Camouflage: Done by Harry right at the beginning.
• Dangerous Windows: The killer attacks Sarah through one she had planned on using to escape the store through.
• Daylight Horror: The end.
• Death by Mocking: Jason and Michael.
• Death by Sex: Irene and Frank.
• Death by Cameo: Todd Farmer plays trucker Frank, who gets killed via pick axe to the head.
• Don't Go in The Woods
• Dual Wield: Briefly done by Harry.
• Edible Bludgeon
• Everyone Is a Suspect
• Exact Words: When Ben tells Tom to make peace with his father if he wants to, he shows him an urn containing his father's ashes.
• Eye Open: Harry coming out of his coma.
• Eye Scream: Jason, Ben and a rescue worker's deaths.
• Famous Last Words: "You're dead, motherfucker!" and "Shit!"
• Fight Scene: Lots, but props to Red for putting up a pretty good one.
• Final Girl: Sarah.
• Fingore: When Red takes a swing at Tom in the bar, he misses and ends up punching a mirror.
• Flipping the Bird: Given to Irene by Frank.
• Flash Back: While in a coma, Harry dreams about the night he became trapped in the mine.
• Frame-Up: Tom attempts to do it to Axel.
• Freudian Excuse: Tom was driven insane by nearly being killed by Harry.
• Gorn
• Gross Up Close-Up
• Half the Man He Used To Be: One of the hospital victims... don't ask how Harry managed that.
• Hallucinations: Tom suffers from auditory ones, which later escalate to visual ones.
• Home Porn Movie: Frank makes them... without his partners' knowledge.
• Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: Unlike the original, it's fairly incidental to the plot, though a deleted scene does reveal Harry was trapped while a Valentine's Day dance was being held.
• Hot Mom: Sarah.
• Hysterical Woman: Megan.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Through the head.
• Improvised Weapon: The killer is attacked with a mop, a frying pan, a lamp base, a battery pack and a piece of frozen meat.
• Info Dump: The 3D newspapers in the opening.
• It's All My Fault: Tom's father in a deleted scene.
• Jack the Ripoff: Tom.
• Jaw Breaker: Jim's death.
• Jerkass: Axel. Dear sweet lord, Axel.
  • Frank too.
  • Downplayed with Red, who tries to give Tom a beating, but only because Tom plans to close down the mine.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Axel ultimately turns out to be this.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Subverted with Axel, who initially seems to be the killer, but is really being put in a Frame-Up by Tom.
• Kick the Dog: Frank secretly videotaped himself and Irene, calls her a whore, flips her off, then says he's gotten tired of her. He also has a wedding ring on, so we can add adultery to the list.
• The Killer in Me: Tom.
• Kill Us Both: Suggested by Axel when Sarah has him and Tom at gunpoint.
• Little People Are Surreal: The reason they decided to have the Thunderbird clerk be a little person, actually saying they though it gave the sequence "a Twin Peaks vibe".
• Mauve Shirt: Rosa, Selene, Red and Deputies Ferris and Martin.
• Menacing Stroll: Mostly, though the killer does run a few times.
• Mirrored Confrontation Shot: Done when Tom first comes face to face with the killer.
• The Mistress: Megan.
• Ms. Fanservice: Irene, played by Betsy La Rue, does not wear one stitch of clothing the entire time she is onscreen (and it's a long scene).
• Mythology Gag
• Necro Cam: Used when Tom is revealed to be the killer.
• Never Found the Body: Harry.
• The Nineties: The prologue.
• "No. Just... No" Reaction: In the commentary, director Patrick Lussier mentions this was essentially his reaction to a test screener ask if it was Megan's unborn baby, not her heart, that the killer cut out.
• No-Tell Motel: The Thunderbird Motel.
• Not His Sled: Axel's a Red Herring this time.
• The Not-Secret: Axel and Megan's relationship.
• Offscreen Teleportation: Justified, Tom is the killer, and any scene with him and the killer together is just him hallucinating.
• Off with His Head: Brandy, sorta.
• One Bullet Left: "Don't miss".
• Only a Flesh Wound: Axel getting stabbed.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Red's real name (William Kirkpatrick) can be seen really briefly on an evidence board.
• Peek-a-Boo Corpse: Sarah comes across several while running from Harry in the mine.
• Plot Hole: It's never revealed how Tom knew where Harry's body was, and it's very doubtful his father would've told him, considering how estranged they were.
• Psycho Smirk: Done by Tom after The Reveal.
• Reaction Shot
• Red Herring: Harry, Axel, Red, and Ben
• Red Shirt: Jason, Michael, and Red.
• The Remake
• The Reveal: Tom is insane and the killer.
• Right Through the Wall: Irene and Frank, much to Tom's annoyance.
• Sacrificial Lamb: Megan.
• Sacrificial Lion: Jim Burke and Ben Foley.
• Say My Name: Tom screaming for Sarah after the car crash.
• Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You
• Sequel Hook: Tom survives being shot and the mine explosion, kills a rescuer, and escapes in his uniform.
• Scream Discretion Shot: The death of the first hospital nurse.
• The Sheriff: Axel, successor to the retired Jim Burke.
• Shovel Strike: Sarah attacks Harry with one in the prologue. He takes it from her and proceeds to behead Brandy at the jawline with it. Near the end, Axel fights Tom with one.
• Smoking Hot Sex: Planned by Irene, but the moment is ruined by Frank's assholishness.
• The Stinger: The killer appears and takes a swing at the camera with his pickaxe.
• Stuff Blowing Up: The beginning and end.
• Super Window Jump: How Sarah escapes the old Palmer house.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Even though Red is obviously dead, the killer continues hacking away at him.
• Those Two Guys: Jason and Michael.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Unless it gets embedded in a windshield.
• Title In: Ten Years Later.
• Token Minority: Deputy Martin and Rosa.
• Turn of the Millennium
• Vader Breath: The killer.
• Vigilante Execution: Harry's death.
• Weapon of Choice: A pickaxe, moreso than the original.
• What the Hell, Hero?: When Sarah makes it clear that she knew Axel was cheating with Megan, Deputy Martin gives him the dirtiest look imaginable.
• Wild Teen Party: The opening.
• Would Hurt a Child: A reporter mentions that some of Harry's victims were children.