Remaking a horror classic is never going to be an easy task, and especially so if the original had found an audience thanks to its mix of slash and mystery. George Mihalka’s My Bloody Valentine from 1981 was an excellent little slasher that combined both a murder mystery and some particularly nasty deaths. So when the 2009 remake came along, could it offer anything worthy of the original slasher’s time?
Thankfully, there are some genuinely interesting ideas here, but unfortunately there’s also a good helping of unnecessary nonsense.
Directed by Patrick Lussier, who would go on to make Drive Angry, My Bloody Valentine 3D brings the story firmly into the modern day, while still keeping the mining-town setting, the gas masked killer and the mystery surrounding Harry Warden.
The thing that really attracted me to this film was Jensen Ackles.
Being a massive Supernatural fan, I was delighted to see Ackles lead another horror property. He plays Tom Hanniger, who returns to his hometown years after a horrific mining incident, and finds himself embroiled in another series of murders.
Ackles is joined in the lead by Jaime King as Sarah and Kerr Smith as Axel, and once again the love triangle forms a key part of the story. We also get horror legend Tom Atkins as Sheriff Jim Burke, always a bonus.
The original was more of a murder mystery, featuring some particularly violent deaths than a straightforward slasher film, and the remade version astutely keeps that formula. We constantly question who is behind the mining mask, with each character suspect being swapped for the next as the body count rises.
The thing that really turns me off about the remake is some of the added melodrama.
Axel’s infidelity and the resultant relationship problems feel very unnecessarily drawn out. I see the reasoning behind it, but the mystery alone was sufficiently compelling without the addition of soap opera style drama.
Then we have the nudity.
Now, I’m in no way surprised to see nudity in a horror movie, but My Bloody Valentine 3D seems to wallow in it. It’s not exactly gratuitous, but there are moments where it feels as if the filmmakers were determined to push things as far as they could, simply for the sake of it.
The original didn’t need it, and neither did this one.
The movie was also shot in 3D, meaning there are plenty of moments where we get to see things flying towards us. As someone who watched both the standard and 3D versions of the movie, I can tell you that even in the regular format, it’s impossible to miss those cheap shocks.
The flying jaw is the standout moment, with a particularly gruesome piece of anatomy literally launched at us in one of the most ridiculous moments I’ve seen in a long time. It’s completely over the top and I’ll admit I found it quite entertaining, but there’s no doubt that it undercuts any attempt at genuine horror.
Where My Bloody Valentine 3D really shines is in its central mystery.
Spoilers ahead.
Unlike the original, where it is revealed that Axel is the killer, the remake completely reverses things by having Tom Hanniger responsible for the murders.
And this is where Jensen Ackles excels.
For the majority of the movie, Ackles convinces you that Tom is an innocent man caught up in circumstances beyond his control. He acts appropriately horrified, traumatised and bewildered.
Then, we discover the events he’s witnessed have played tricks on his mind.
One of the standout scenes is where we see Tom seemingly locked in a cage, screaming desperately as the killer towers outside. We later discover that in fact, Tom isn’t locked inside the cage at all.
He’s on the outside.
It’s a fantastic piece of psychology, not least because the movie plays with our perceptions, showing us events as Tom remembers them before revealing the truth. Suddenly what we’ve seen is reframed in a new and surprising light.
Another particularly strong scene is where Tom walks through the mine, shattering lights with his pickaxe as he goes. As the lights come on and off, his silhouette momentarily resembles that of the masked killer.
It’s a simple effect, but an incredibly effective one.
Ackles displays a remarkable talent as Tom, effortlessly switching between what appears to be an innocent survivor to a disturbed killer. His performance is one of the film’s real highlights and further proof that he deserves to be one of our leading actors.
I also really enjoyed the ending.
Rather than suffering defeat at the hands of the killer, Tom escapes, surviving to potentially tell the tale another day. It’s a refreshing change to see the killer get away, especially as the movie has so much invested in making us believe Tom to be innocent.
Much like the original’s ending with Axel, it leaves the door open for another chapter.
And I would’ve liked to see one.
There was definitely scope to explore what happened to Tom next, especially with Ackles reprising the role. Unfortunately that movie never came to pass.
My Bloody Valentine 3D is an entertaining remake that features some inventive kills, a strong mystery and an excellent performance from Jensen Ackles. The psychological reveal is genuinely clever and there are moments where the movie does something interesting with the material it’s given.
But it also tries too hard.
The excessive nudity, drawn out relationship drama and unrelenting 3D gimmicks get in the way of what could have been a much stronger film.
Strip away some of the excess and there are some genuinely great ideas beneath the surface, but as it stands, it’s just an enjoyable enough movie that falls short of its intended goal.
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