Canadian Slasher #3

My Bloody Valentine 1981

I'm over a month late with this entry. I should have done a post on this during Valentine's week, but for some reason I didn't. I think I was in a moral crisis or some shit. Anyway, with slasher fans it's almost universal - My Bloody Valentine is the end all of the slasher film. It's agreed upon by almost everyone that this flick is as entertaining as it is broad. And we're willing to overlook Paramount's bad cut job when it comes to the slashing sequences.

My Bloody Valentine is a film that strikes a chord with me. It's set in a small dank mining town with your typical early 80's locals with bad wardrobes and even worse hair. [I'm skipping past the awesome opening sequence that involves what seems to be a sexually frustrated miner and his female counterpart.]


TJ's father owns the mines nestled beneath the ground of Valentine's Bluffs - That small dank mining town I mentioned earlier. A gray Canadian haze settles itself over the town like a blanket. TJ has since went out west and made his return upon really falling on his ass out there. He made so many mistakes and he wants Sarah back.

There's a slight problem because Sarah is now going out with TJ's best friend Axel. He explains to TJ that he went away - He didn't know where he was or when the hell he was coming back. TJ's reaction is that Axel is starting to sound like his old man and a nightly gathering at the junkyard almost turns into a scuffle.


In the meantime, the whole town is anticipating the first Valentines Day dance in 20 years. The reason there hasn't been a dance for so long is because twenty years ago, a man named Harry Warden went on a killing spree - murdering everyone responsible for leaving him and five other miners in the bowels of the mine without checking the methane level. The mine blew and here's Harry left all fucked up and eating the leg of one of his co-workers after being trapped underground for six weeks. All this just so happened on Valentine's Day and it was vowed by Harry that the same thing would happen if there was EVER another Valentine's Day dance.

Of course, the town sheriff still remembers the big mess twenty years ago and is still a little shell shocked in the pre-wake of the Valentine's dance. There's a local bartender who expels the legend of Harry Warden from his parched lips while the mining buddy cast play silly games with knives and make farting noises in light of all the bartender's serious hubbub.

There's a mood crasher when TJ's father gets a heart shaped box with a human heart in it. Without question the sheriff cancels the dance. The incident is kept quiet, but it's not long before Mabel (the dance organizer) is killed by a coal miner equipped with blue cover-alls, breathing apparatus and large pick ax. (Sort of reminiscent of Joe Zito's The Prowler)

The sheriff covers up Mabel's death [as well] after she's found stuffed in a running dryer at her laundry mat, burned to a crisp. The young cast of colorful characters are told Mabel died of a heart attack and become all sad at the cancellation of the dance, but TJ has a plan - He'll move the party to his father's mine! They'll have the party inside the rec-room! Of course, we all know at this point that Harry or someone will crash the party.

What comes next is some very good stalk 'n' slash sequences that for the most part take place inside a very atmospheric and gritty underground mine. The mine makes way for some really good scares and is a perfect place for a pick ax welding miner to hide in the nooks and cranny's thereof.

The tension between TJ and his 'best friend' Axel is halted for a bit when it's learned that someone has been killing off members of the party up top and underground. They both realize that Sarah and some others are trapped in the mine and that they better get there before Harry does.

For the first timer [who by chance hasn't read spoilers], there's a question of who the killer really is. Is it Harry Warden? There's some emphasis that the killer could be one of our main leads. There's some scenes that would give prelude to this thought throughout the whole film. It's up to the viewer to actually sift through the clues and figure it out for themselves.

Another saving grace for My Bloody Valentine are the high production values. A glossy look can sometimes hurt a film of slasher ilk, but the grimy mine overshadowed any Hollywood 'effect' it otherwise would have had on the film. The acting is quiet good to boot. Paul Kelman (TJ) is the dark haired mysterious type who could very well be hiding some sinister secrets. Neil Affleck (Axel - TJ's ex-best friend) is the blond haired blue eyed mixture of disgruntled manhood and empathy. Lori Hallier (Sarah) is the catalyst for our little love triangle amongst friends. She's a blond haired blue eyed, buxom blond who's torn between her first love TJ, and her rebound love Axel.

Axel is truly made a fool by TJ and Sarah. He's the fall guy for both TJ's and Saraha's riff between each other. Director George Mihalka takes John Beaird's script and does the best he can. It's a shame this movie didn't do all that well at the box office upon its initial release in 1981. This is truly a good film, even aside from the gore sequences lying on the cutting room floor.

If there was ever a war cry from slasher fans around the world, it's for an all out uncut collectors edition dvd packed with extras. Hell, if Texas Chainsaw Massacre II can get a release called the Gruesome Edition, My Bloody Valentine should be able. [I love TCM 2 btw.]



To sum it up, MBV is a film that can't be missed by slasher fans - even slasher fans of the Scream generation. Even younger fans should find something good in this Canadian slasher whether its shred to bits or not. An atmospheric upbeat slasher film that's never tedious and never boring. My Bloody Valentine is the epitome of what the slasher film should require.

Tell Tale Heart 1960

This is my favorite cinematic take on Poe's wonderful story of the same name.

A mentally unstable librarian discovers that the woman he is infatuated with has dumped him for another man - His best friend. (No spoiler here) In a fit of rage, he murders his rival, burying the body under the floorboards in his home

The murder goes undetected, but Edgar can not silence the sound of the beating heart of his victim, which echoes louder and louder, driving him insane.

Lawrence Payne gives a masterpiece performance as 'Edgar' - The shy rich man who falls head over heels in love with Betty Clare - (Played gracefully by Adrienne Cori) - [a new girl in town who moves next door to Edgar] goes homicidal on his best friend Carl Loomis. (played by the debonair Dermot Walsh)

What makes this one different than all the rest is the acting and sheer fact that for such an early year, it has one of the darker elements of the lot. This is definitely worth picking up. The Alpha Video version (on dvd) is of decent quality that may have been tweaked a hair. It was released in 2004 and probably swings for about five bucks at a dollar bin somewhere.

Hider in the House

He sees you. He hears you. He knows you. He lives with you. And you don't even know he's there.

A pre-bugged out Gary Busey is a resident psychopath, (Tom Sykes) in a very strange performance that will ultimately make you pull back the shower curtain before taking a piss. Not really, but I like Busey. I would however hide in the shower if I saw him coming towards me.

After his release from a state institution, Tom finds a cozy new place to call home: a secret place he builds in the attic of the Dryer family home. No, not Fred Dryers family. Hunter would have found him and let Dee Dee have a round or two with him with her golden vibrator.

Sykes definitely knows how to hide. As a child Tom would escape his parents violent outbursts and abuse by hiding in the most remote areas of the house - until he finally gets tired of being burned with cigarettes and torches down the house with them in it.

Now Julie and Phil Dryer (Mimi Rogers who's smokin' and Michael Mckean - better known as Lenny) have a new tenant in their newly built dream house. He's the creak when they think it's the wind. He's the noise they blame for the dad's awful farting problem. He's the rat in the attic.

By setting up an elaborate microphone system in the attic, he's able to hear every word they say. He knows more about the Dryer family than Fred Dryer knows about them. Tom is now part of the house and his obsession with Julie unleashes hidden demons trapped in a mind that's trapped in an attic.

Tom finally makes himself known to Julie after he finds Phil at a restaurant and sets up a plan to have her meet him at the same hotel he uses as a sex place with his mistress. After the fur flies and Phil gets caught in the act, Phil is told to leave. Tom strategically places himself in the middle of a schoolyard fight between Julie's son and some monkey-bar punk. Julie appreciates Tom stepping in and little by little, Tom starts to come around.

Things go a little hazy in Julie's eyes when Tom teaches her son some new defense techniques that involves viciously hurting one's opponent by means of nut blows, knees and elbows. Things are set in stone when finally, Tom shows how screwed up he his by almost refusing to take no for an answer in regards to a date with Julie.

The film as a whole deals loosely with the psychological aspect of a bad upbringing - Almost similar to a 1970's film called Bad Ronald - about a guy who lives in the walls of the house in which new tenants move in) Tom's arms are riddled with scars from cigarette burns. The conclusion of his visits to his shrink have him worried. He's afraid he'll 'loose control' again. The shrink talks nice, but isn't too keen on the notion of having him released. I wouldn't let Gary Busey roam the free world either. His teeth are too big.

What sets this movie off from the rest of the 'I'm crazy because I was abused as a kid' movies is the fact that at heart, Tom is a big old Teddy Bear. He really doesn't want to hurt anyone. His motives are pure in his own mind, but those damned old memories seem to trigger his rough temper. All he wants to do is lead an all American life equipped with a wife and kids. Tom actually is a character to be pitied. I truly never saw him as a villain until the finale.

There's not much slicing and dicing going on, but the movie as a whole has a few slasher undertones. I guess one could classify it as such. I classify Moon Pies as a great breakfast, so I don't really know.

One thing I do know is that a dog, an ill fated exterminator and Julie's friend get killed and buried. Another thing I know is that this movie is quiet entertaining. Busey gives a wonderful performance and really doesn't have to act too much because as we all know, Busey is crazy anyway. Roger's is smoking as usual and reminds me for the world of my beautiful wife.

If you're a fan of psychological horror films as well as slasher films, you can't go wrong. No masterpiece, but no pile of trash either. I'll admit - the scenario is quiet outlandish - Not many people would look over the fact that some crazy man is living in the attic, but it makes way for some good stuff on celluloid. By the way, this is/was a made for television film that debut on the USA network back in the day.

Bad Lieutenant 1992

He has survived on the streets for twenty years. He's a gambler... a thief... a junkie ... a killer and a cop. Now he's investigating the most shocking case of his life, and as he moves closer to the truth, his self-destructive past is closing in. Harvey Keitel gives us a truly searing performance an an out of control police detective on a collision course with disaster.

First of all, Abel Ferrara is a hit or miss director. Either the viewer is turned on by what's on screen, or they're completely turned off. I have been a fan of Ferrara's for quiet some time now - Ever since seeing Driller Killer at age ten. The name Abel always struck a chord with me. Who knows? It could have been the biblical reference.

Bad Lieutenant is a film that one can't help but think comes from the inner depths of Abel Ferrara's soul. If one didn't know better, they would think the film as a whole is probably an analogy of his personal life... his inner demons.

While not a horror film (in general), this movie depicts the hidden horrors that seemingly good people keep locked away. It's a commentary of the mask wearers of society - Weak people in a body of someone having authority. When one thinks of an authoritative figure, we automatically think of a self willed leader - Someone who has it all together inside and out. We never see beneath the uniform or the tough persona, and take for granted that these people are always going to be our sociological pillars.

We very rarely see past the badges and the colors. We can look into these people's eyes and seemingly look past all the cries for help, until they're finally let out of the bag and we're left disappointed and out of hope. "How could THIS person do THAT?"

The Lieutenant (played wonderfully by Harvey Keitel) is a despicable person. He's a crack addict, a heroine fiend, an alcoholic and a sex freak. He steals batches of cocaine from crime scenes and sells it to the local drug pushers. He's a gambler. He owes tons of money to a bookie who's described to have killed families and babies, yet he still manages to bet against his cop buddies on the 1991 MLB playoffs.

Throughout the entire film, Ferrara gives us deeper glimpses into The Lieutenant's life of drugs, lust, and depravity. It's not long before we stop despising the cop and start feeling sorry for him. He's truly no different than a homeless junkie on the street. If not for the badge, that's exactly what the Lt. would have been.

Again, I'm going to jump back to some hidden personal views that's obviously been thrown in by Abel Ferrara in regards to his own life. First off, the drug depictions were right on the money. For someone to capture the gritty NY lifestyle accompanied by the dirty essence of sexual depravity, they would have had to experience at least some of it. "Yeah, yeah. A good director would do some studying."

I'm not saying Abel Ferrara is a drug addict alcoholic hooked on women and gambling, but I'm sticking with my story. There's an overlapping of Catholicism that adds an even more disturbing outlook when we have the raping of a nun in which the Lt. is assigned to the case.

The whole scenario allows the Lt's actions to be completely overshadowed, giving the viewer a little time to actually take the Lt.'s side when he questions the nun about how she could forgive her attackers for what they had done to her. She actually knows the name of her attackers but won't give their names to the police.

The religious angle seems to stick hard with Ferrara. Throughout a number of his films the Christianity angle has been exploited - either showing disdain and then redemption, or redemption then disdain. I think Bad Lieutenant reflects on a man's weaknesses and how an overhanging of the 'forgiveness' alignment can allow one to feel remorse through all the drugs and alcohol.

There's a scene depicting a hanging Jesus - being crucified as he screams in agony. We see him as a weak vessel, but in all actuality,(in Christianity) he's the Man in charge. It's kind of a reversal of The Lt.'s life. Here he is supposed to be the strong man in charge, yet he is so weak and despicable on the inside. We have the Jesus figure being pathetically weak on the outside, yet inhumanly strong willed on the inside. The two roads eventually meet when we realize that dying on the cross was Jesus' choice, just as the illogical sex games, drug use and gambling was the Lt.'s choice.

Throughout the film, The Lt. comments on the Catholic church calling it ''a racket''. Later on when the Lt. gets in too deep with the bookie, he enters the church in one of his drunken hazes. He calls out to Jesus and He appears. The Lt. crawls to his imagined Jesus figure. The figure stretches his arm almost mechanically the closer the Lt. crawls to him on the floor. He kisses the feet of the figure only to wake up and realize that it's the the feet of an old black woman.

In this epiphany he learns the identity of the two kids who raped the nun. In a sudden turn of forgiveness, he locates the two kids, smokes crack with them, gives them $30,000 and sends them away Scott free on a bus to an unknown destination stating their lives will ''never amount to shit in this town''- referring to NY.

It's a look at a sudden burst of redemption and self appointed righteousness. Throughout the entire film we never know the Lt's name. All he's addressed by is simply Lieutenant. He's stripped of an interpersonal identity, living life with what his outward appearance stands for - the badge, the suits. We also never learn the identity of the bookie the Lt. owes all the money to. He goes by the name Large which is also a symbolic gesture. LARGE, which is a metaphorical deity (in terms of the Lt. being at the mercy of him in regards to the large amount of money he owes him) seems to have the Lt's life in his hands. The Lt. hasn't paid up and who knows when he'll collect?

The Lieutenant's family seem to have no identity either. This is metaphorical in that the Lt. doesn't actually know his family. He has been involved with his cop lifestyle and moonlighting as a sex fiend and junkie for so long that he does the same as a typical drug user and gambling alcoholic. His mother lives with him (his ex-wife living in another home) but never speaks throughout the entire film. This is also a representation on the upbringing the Lieutenant had growing up as a child.

The ball game that we see throughout the entire running time is also somewhat of a miracle in itself - The Mets coming back after being THREE games down against the Dodgers is representative of a mini miracle. It's also metaphorical in that it's NY against NY. It's almost a simile on how NY is a city that is at odds with itself - everyone trying to beat each other - their own neighbors and friends. This could represent the eventual lack of faith not only with the games, but the Jesus in general.

What happens next one can pretty much estimate. This is certainly a film that can't be enjoyed by the subject matter. It's not a film that's pink a fluffy and round around the edges. I think one would have to have had some external form of experience with religion and addiction - whether sexual or alcohol and drugs, it would be hard to relate to this without experiencing one or the other. Rarely, a film will make me shudder at the thought of it or absolutely set me on the same shelf with it. Bad Lieutenant does the latter. (No, I'm not a raging alcoholic or heroine junky or sex freak. It's the religion thing)

A very depressing film with tons of metaphoric actions and camera-work. Abel Ferrara pulls the art house curtains, but opens them enough to let us peek through without them getting in the way. Not since Fulci's New York Ripper has the dirt of New York rubbed off on me and managed to stay for so long. Harvey Keitel's best performance as well as Ferrara's best. Not one to miss if you're a fan of emotional cinema. Masterpiece cinema.

The Unborn 1991

Brad and Virginia (Brooke Adams) will do anything to have a baby. When a renowned infertility specialist, Dr. Meyerling (played by James Karen of ROTLD fame) finally helps them conceive, they think their troubles are behind them. The husband can finally relax and tell his friends he indeed isn't a blank-shooter, but a loaded .44 magnum instead. Well, maybe a .25 automatic.

Plagued by a variety of strange symptoms as her pregnancy progresses, Virginia learns that Dr. Myerling isn't an obstetrician; he's a genetic engineer. And he's now determined to 'breed' bigger, stronger, smarter babies. If it wasn't for breeding 'smarter' babies, I'd almost swear that Dr Myerling made Arnold Schwarzenegger - but Dr. Jack Kevorkian takes all the credit for that mess.

Virginia's desperate search for answers leads to the shocking revelation that not only isn't the baby hers, it's not human. It actually belongs to Micky Rourke.

In the tradition of the It's Alive! films and others like Rosemary's Baby, we have a carnivorous baby which ultimately eats its way from its mother's womb. The mother also suffers from severe symptoms during pregnancy and takes on a number of moody personalities.

The Unborn is your typical late 80's early 90's 'horror' flick. It does have a number of good scenes, but it could have done a little more. But, not only were some scenes downright disturbing, the film as a whole has a very uneasy atmosphere that helped me stay the course.

I'm not a true fan of films like this, but The Unborn did manage to keep my interest even tho I've seen the same thing a dozen times before. I also liked seeing James Karen in another serious role. I've always been a big fan of Karen and seeing his name on the box is the main reason I picked it up. He's the ONLY reason to watch Tobe Hooper's Invaders From Mars btw.


While definitely not one of best films ever, it's certainly not a bad one. In fact, it's well worth the buck rental. The director (Rodman Flender) did a good job with the visuals. The DP also did a good job Did it leave a lasting impression on me? Well, yes and no. A scene that involves Virginia picking her disposed creature-baby out of the local dumpster in a sudden turn of guilt after her underground abortion stuck with me. Not only this, but there's the opening scene that involves a pregnant woman seemingly eating bloody meat from the fridge in one of those 'I can eat a horse' binges. The husband seems to think all is fine. *It could have been sauce*

To sum it up, The Unborn will keep your head afloat even if it's just enough to breath. For all the blank-shooters out there (I'm not poking fun, I could very well be a blank-shooter myself), don't go to Dr. Myerling. Now, I haven't heard anything on the sequel, but I'll confess - I didn't even know there was a sequel to The Unborn. Hunting it down will give me something to do between griping. It evidently made a little money or there certainly wouldn't have been a sequel. All in all, check it out.