Serial killer Harry Warden is back. Or so it seems.
Someone is recreating the mad miner’s modus operandi is leaving bloody Valentines gifts around town, tormenting the locals.
Can he be stopped?
Weirdly, I saw the remake to this first.
A lot of the movies I watch, and the filmmakers I gravitate towards, I was not able to watch for a long time.
My first knowledge and impressions of a lot of filmmakers and movies came from internet reviews, Empire magazine and documentaries.
Such is the case with My Bloody Valentine ‘81.
This is a really strong picture.
The young cast have a lived-in, organic dynamic.
The feel like an established set of friends - even the comic character does not grate. He feels like the one friend who makes dumb jokes.
The kills are varied and well-staged.
The movie has a fantastic central location and an iconic killer.
The best thing about the movie is its sense of atmosphere - there is a gloomy, grimy gothic feel to the whole picture.
It also takes full advantage of its environment.
We get set pieces in a couple of distinctive environments in unique ways - we even get a fight on top of a coal trolley.
I cannot remember if it is specified in the movie, but it feels more overtly Canadian than other slashers of the era (Happy Birthday to Me).
The version I watched is the restored version with all the gore added back in. I am kinda curious to watch the theatrical cut because the added footage is from poor sources - the print it is taken from is faded and scratched, and it worked against the film in a couple of places.
Still, it is easy to see why this film is regarded so highly.
A treat.
Related
No comments:
Post a Comment