The horror genre, despite its established place in American popular culture, has long confounded film critics. What qualifies as a horror film and what constitutes a good horror film have been up for debate for a long time. It is a safe bet to say that a "horror" movie must include a supernatural element, sex (whether graphic or subtle), a couple of screaming women and scenes that make viewers cringe and/or jump. Films that do not fit these specifications are generally "thrillers" of some sort. Keeping this in mind, "My Bloody Valentine 3-D" surprisingly succeeds as a little bit of both genres, with visually pleasing special effects and free, stylish glasses to boot.
"My Bloody Valentine" is a remake of the 1981 film of the same title, but its 3-D aspect definitely brings it to the 21st century. While the respective plots of the two films are not exactly the same, the characters and general storyline are still in play.
The movie starts with a flashback: 10 years ago, Tom Hanniger (played by Jensen Ackels) forgot to leak methane gas out of mining lines, causing an explosion that trapped many miners. One miner, Harry Warden (Richard John Walter), was miraculously found alive and in a coma. However, after more careful inspection, it was found that Warden killed all of the other trapped miners as they were buried beneath the rubble. Suddenly, Warden wakes up and continues his rampage by killing unsuspecting townspeople and teenagers who are holding a party in the abandoned mine area. People naively assume that he was defeated after his killing spree.
After Warden is seemingly vanquished, the story fast-forwards to the present day when Hanniger returns to the town of Harmony to sell the mine. His friend Axel Palmer (Kerr Smith) is now the sheriff in town, and his former love interest, Sarah (Jaime King), is Axel's wife. Things go awry as the murders commence once again, and the town scrambles to find out why.
The script's lack of originality gives it a distinctly cheesy flavor. The gratuitous gore, violence, sex and nudity are certainly a staple of horror films, and this one exploits every possible R-rated technique. While the plot is nothing spectacular, viewers can still enjoy this homage to classic slasher flicks. Needless to say, the movie isn't for everyone; audiences should be prepared to be shocked and disturbed and to share the theater with loads of teenaged couples that will grab each other at every slightly scary moment in the film.
The movie's main gimmick and one of its most effective components is its three-dimensional viewing aspect. The technology used does not rely on old-fashioned red and blue-colored glasses made of paper; instead, polarized lenses transform the blurry image into something viewable and lifelike. The glasses are made of plastic and resemble an ordinary cheap pair of sunglasses. Movie-goers usually get to keep them, depending on the theater's policy. Throughout the movie there are several instances where the 3-D looks incredible: pick axes hurtling toward characters, guns being pointed, body parts being flung into the air and explosions heading toward the audience all make for a good scare and laugh.
While most modern horror movies try to be scary by basing screenplays off of "true events" or by doing a simple remake of a classic, "My Bloody Valentine 3-D" changes the original just enough and keeps it simple by sticking to the horror-film formula, adding a surprisingly effective gimmick, and topping it off with a slogan that sums it all up: "Nothing says 'date movie' like a 3-D ride to hell!"
