My Bloody Valentine (2009)

Director:

Patrick Lussier

Writers (WGA):

Todd Farmer (screenplay) and
Zane Smith (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

On January 16, Get Your Heart Broken.

Plot:

Tom returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine's night massacre that claimed the lives of 22 people. Instead of a homecoming, however, Tom finds himself suspected of committing the murders, and it seems like his old flame is the only one will believes he's innocent.

Plot Keywords:

Valentine | Mine | Coma | Miner | Valentine's Day

Cast

Jensen Ackles	...	Tom Hanniger
Jaime King	...	Sarah Palmer
Kerr Smith	...	Axel Palmer
Betsy Rue	...	Irene
Edi Gathegi	...	Deputy Martin
Tom Atkins	...	Sheriff Jim Burke
Kevin Tighe	...	Ben Foley
Megan Boone	...	Megan
Karen Baum	...	Deputy Ferris
Joy de la Paz	...	Rosa
Marc Macaulay	...	Riggs
Todd Farmer	...	Frank the Trucker
Jeff Hochendoner	...	Red
Bingo O'Malley	...	Officer Hinch
Liam Rhodes	...	Michael

Also Known As:

My Bloody Valentine 3-D (UK) (promotional title) (USA) (promotional title)
My Bloody Valentine 3D (UK) (poster title) (USA) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout, some strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44787) | Ireland:16 | UK:18 | Japan:R-15 | Hong Kong:III | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | New Zealand:R18 | South Korea:18 | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Africa:18LNPS | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R21 | Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM14 | Belgium:KNT | Sweden:15 | Norway:18 | Iceland:16 | Germany:18 (nf) | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Peru:18

Filming Locations:

Bethel, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Lionsgate

Trivia:

The first R-rated film projected in Real D technology.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Karen Baum's character Deputy Ferris's jacket reads 'SHERRIF' on the back.

Quotes:

Ben Foley: Eloquent, Sheriff. You make us look like an inbred mining community.
Axel Palmer: We *are* an inbred mining community, Ben.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "As the World Turns: (#1.13444)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Hyperspace

My Bloody Valentine 3-D A Deadly Blind Date

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.