My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Plot Summary

It's Valentine's Day in the tiny mining town of Valentine's Bluff, Nova Scotia, and for the first time in two decades the residents are planning a holiday dance. The long hiatus is due to the tragic events of 20 years earlier, when a pair of mining supervisors were too busy enjoying themselves at the dance to prevent an accident from killing a large contingent of their workers. The lone survivor, Harry Warden, took his revenge the next year by removing the hearts of his bosses and promising similar carnage if ever another Valentine's dance were held. Unfortunately, the town's horny early-'80s youngsters aren't big on tradition, especially since Warden is locked up in an insane asylum. They go ahead with plans to celebrate the holiday — even after a heart in a candy box shows up and beloved biddy Mabel (Patricia Hamilton) ends up enduring an involuntary tumble dry. Soon, bodies begin piling up, setting the stage for a climactic trawl through the mines and surprise revelations about the fate of Harry Warden. Shortly after the death of John Lennon, the MPAA made an example of this Canadian slasher film, forcing much of its gore to be excised. Nevertheless, My Bloody Valentine provided inspiration for Kevin Shields' influential band of the same name, which helped establish England's late-'80s shoegazer sound and paved the way for the post-rock of the 1990s. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi