My Bloody Valentine (2009)

Directed by: Patrick Lussier | 101 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsy Blue, Edi Gathegi, Tom Atkins, Kevin Tighe, Megan Boone, Karen Baum, Joy de la Paz, Marc Macaulay, Todd Farmer, Jeff Hochendoner, Bingo O’Malley, Liam Rhodes Michael McKee, Andrew Larson, Jarrod DiGiorgi, Selene Luna, Cherie McClain, Richard John Walters, David Whalen, Denise Dal Vera, Sam Nicotero, Tim Hartman, Ruth Flaherty, Annie Kitral, Jerry Johnston, Rita Gregory, Brandi Engel, Mightie Louis Greenberg

In the past, 3D was little more than a gimmick that gave you a cross-eyed headache, but in recent years the technology has really taken off. The red/green glasses have been replaced by polarized glasses that give you the most stunning effects. It is therefore not surprising that more and more films are appearing in 3D. With home cinema systems mimicking the cinematic experience and it’s becoming more and more difficult to get ass on the plush, movie producers are turning to the third dimension to entice audiences into the movie theater.

In no other genre does 3D come into its own as well as in horror. The visual aspect has traditionally played an important role in slaughter films; It’s not for nothing that the English often describe bloody scenes as graphic. Graphic is ‘My Bloody Valentine’ for sure. The film uses the latest gadgets in 3D and the result is impressive. Although transitions between near and far are sometimes not completely seamless, you are sucked into the setting like never before. The blood spatter flies around your ears and the mines in which the story largely takes place give an unprecedented depth effect.

Of course, the quality of a film is not determined by the images alone. As a horror film in itself, ‘My Bloody Valentine’ offers few surprises, but it does what it promises. The title says it all. There is love, there is blood and there are hearts torn out. So there is plenty to enjoy for gore lovers. You’d say there’s only one way to kill someone with a pickaxe, but the man behind the miner’s mask shows great creativity in this area. And because the characters all get some baggage, you really care what happens to them.

Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester from the “Supernatural” series) does a decent job as the lead, though it’s a shame the screenplay doesn’t give him the opportunity to showcase his talent for comedy. Where the solitary Tom Hanniger is silent, Dean Winchester would have had a one-liner ready. But unfortunately. ‘My Bloody Valentine’ mainly relies on visual humor. In particular, the scene in which the murderer takes on a stark naked lady in heels makes you laugh. Kudos to Betsy Rue: There are few actresses who can exude dignity in these circumstances, but she pulls it off. you go girl!

And then the denouement. You see it coming, or you don’t. If you think about it later, you’ll come to the conclusion that the screenwriters cheated a bit. The trick is not to worry too much about it. In horror, it is not so much about who the perpetrator is, but about what he does with his victims. ‘My Bloody Valentine 3D’ is just a tasty, artisanal slasher with beautiful people coming to a three-dimensional end. If you surrender to that, you will be set.