Review: My Bloody Valentine (2009)

I'll admit it, I tend to be very negative towards remakes. Today, production companies like to ignore what was special about the original film, and they just update it with this Hollywood shine. You're always greeted with movies made by people with a fixation of making things looking perfect and pretty. As opposed to creating a labor of love in the past. The fortunate thing about the 'My Bloody Valentine' remake is that they managed to make their own version of the movie which feels like a hybrid of the Hollywood shine, and the beloved slasher of the 80's. As far as updates go here, you have a pretty cast. The main guys are pretty, the girls are pretty, everyone is pretty. On top of that, they also included a pretty good story to follow for a Slasher film. This story plays into the whole Valentines Day motif by basing it on lost love between Tom and his ex girlfriend.

I think it's fair to say that this movie recharged the 3-D craze which is happening right now. It has scenes, in the normal version, which are evidently supposed to be 3D, but I don't think it really ruins the film. The movie is even guilty of including that stupid flashback montage that every Horror film seems to use nowadays. The twist in the end isn't really all that surprising, and given the fact that I loved the original, I knew that there was no way they could just keep the same ending in there for those that have seen the original, so there was only one other way to go. This however is where the Hollywood shine ends, and the classic feel and homage begins.

To start off, sure, this has a lovey dovey story but we're immediately greeted with a load of Gore. The film makers obviously wanted to prove that this wasn't just another remake. This is proven by putting B-Movie legend Tom Atkins in the middle of it. There are tons of great kills, a very gratuities nude scene, and a lot more face time for Harry Warden who actually didn't get a ton of face time in the original. I would daresay that this is a great example of a contemporary slasher.

For a genre that peaked in the 80's, it's very hard to replicate or even top what was done back then. But 'My Bloody Valentine' comes close with the 'films of today' type of gas mask that it wears. I think that this is a great Horror movie to watch with your special someone on Valentines Day. Just expect to see a bit more Red, in addition to that box of chocolates you got.