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Early '80s slasher films were notorious for being manhandled by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) with little concern for the clarity of the final product. A great number of these pictures were/are known more for what had been cut from them - including The Prowler aka Rosemary's Killer, The Burning, Friday the 13th Part II, and this here film - rather than the quality of the movies themselves. Of these very edited motion pictures (most of which can now be found uncut on Blu-ray and DVD, however), the most highly sought for an uncut release most certainly was My Bloody Valentine.

It wasn't just a matter of "I wonder what was cut from the film;" MBV was hacked so badly by the ratings board that it rendered many of the death scenes incomprehensible. An uncensored release was damn near a necessity. Paramount's initial releases were barebones offerings, as usual, and delivered to viewers the movie in its heavily censored form. The uncut deaths became something of legend as, with each subsequent release of the movie on a home-viewing format, fans wondered if they would ever see the picture as it was originally intended.

As a brief aside, the film was so heavily cut due to the death of John Lennon briefly after the crew had finished shooting. Hence, the MPAA came down increasingly hard on violence in films and, more specifically, slasher films. 28 years later, slasher buffs can finally rejoice as Lionsgate has partnered with Paramount to deliver the long-awaited uncut version of MBV to rabid fans en masse. The Blu-ray offers up two viewing options; the first being to watch the film in its theatrical form, the second to watch it in its extended form. Fans should be forewarned, though. The deleted scenes are not in the greatest condition and look closer to workprint footage and, thus, greatly conflict with the near-perfect transfer that they have been spliced into.

Having first seen this back in 2002 as a rental from Hollywood Video (on VHS, no less), I never thought much of it. It was effective, but slightly plodding. I loved the idea of a psychotic miner, though, and I always thought that his get-up (the mining suit with accompanying mask and pick-axe) were a "shoulda-been" horror staple. But, unsurprisingly, I felt that the gore quotient was unfulfilled and, after doing a bit of research, I also became one of those who wanted to see an uncut release.

Those looking for a simple hack 'n' slash in the spirit of Paramount's mega-hit series, Friday the 13th, will be getting much more than they bargained for here. MBV has something of a plot going on; that is, outside of the typical "crazed killer comes back to town to slice and dice." There's a love triangle going on between characters T.J. (Paul Kelman), Axel (Neil Affleck), and Sarah (Lori Hallier). These characters are also non-suburban and, instead, are atypically blue-collar. Although MBV isn't wholly original in terms of formula, it turned many of the slasher conventions of the time on their heads. The practical joker isn't the fat guy, the heavier gentleman (played wonderfully by the late Keith Knight) actually has a girlfriend, there isn't a final battle between the madman and the virginal heroine, the characters are actually fairly likeable, and there are no token African-Americans.

On a more negative note for the picture, George Mihalka's direction does tend to be, as noted before, plodding. He spends too much time focusing his lens on things that don't add much to the movie as a whole and, moreover, he spends too much time showing us The Miner as opposed to keeping his figured relegated to the shadows. As most other horror directors of the '80s did - and this is something Mihalka is guilty of also - they attempted to build tension by way of odd noises or a random shouting of "*insert name*, is that you over there?" moments before the kill occurs. Not only do these sequences seem to drone on for ages, but they are also 85% ineffective. MBV is no different.

In its edited form, ... Valentine is an effective slasher flick with an eerie mood and tons of atmosphere. Uncut, however, that effective mood and atmosphere are increased ten-fold. Not only is this cut gritty and downright violent, but it can also be brutally morbid. I won't spoil any of the grisly details here, but the wait was definitely worth it.

For those of you who have already seen the 2009 reboot, I wholeheartedly recommend you seek out a copy of this special edition and take a look at what has become, in many circles, one of the most legendary cult slashers of the '80s. Now presented completely uncut and with some great special features to boot, MBV has finally gotten the Blu-ray/DVD release many of us never thought it would. As a testament to the early '80s and the films it inspired, give this one a shot. It has withstood the test of time and it is a great example of its genre. Eerie and tense it most certainly is, and all-deserving of the praise showered upon it from horror buffs. Hugely recommended.

8/10