Movies.ie wishes you a warm, happy, loving and above all murderous Valentine’s Day with our top five bloody Valentine’s flicks
Did you know that 30% of murders in February happen on the 14th? Were you aware of the rather high incidence of death by long stemmed rose in and around mid February? You weren’t? That could possibly be because they’re made up, imagined and completely not true. We think. There’s always been something not quite right about the feast of St Valentine. Perhaps it’s the forced shows of emotion, the sense of desolation when you find yourself single and wandering a supermarket aisle where everything is pink, fluffy and made of chocolate. It really is a ripe time for people to edge ever closer to the dark
This year we are in the somewhat fortunate position of celebrating both Friday 13th and St. Valentines day in close proximity. Quite how one celebrates Friday 13th is a slight mystery but were you to combine the two – stick with me here – and create a horror movie fest based around movies that combine the feast days of love, horror and the ways in which they sometimes meet. Sounds complicated? Luckily we have compiled a shortlist of movies that meet the criteria. If you happen to be part of a couple these movies can be used to get closer on the couch as Jason Vorhees goes after another victim. If you’re single you can choose cynicism to get you through the day, perhaps imagining a fate worse than marriage for the couples fawning outside your window…
My Bloody Valentine
This is the original My Bloody Valentine released in 1981. Quentin Tarantino called this his favourite horror movie of all time and it’s easy to see why. The movie has everything you could ask for in a Valentines Day horror movie. Young people go against the advice of their elders and stage a Valentines Day dance, strictly verboten by the resident psychopath who, 10 years earlier, killed two men at the same dance and ordered that the event be canceled indefinitely. The foolish youths meet their maker in this low budget film replete with the glorious amounts of blood and gore that could only be loved by Tarantino. Catch the reimagined 3D version in cinemas now.
Valentine
Definitely not the same calibre as My Bloody Valentine, Valentine is a cheesy horror. Though if you’re looking for something that ties in nicely with a celebration of horror and love then this tale of a victim of cruel high school girls exacting his revenge on them in later years in more than apt. Pluses are that it stars David Boreanaz and Katherine Heigl, both rather good looking people. Minuses are pretty much everything else. Watch it tongue-in-cheek style, this is horror-by-numbers but it is a themed horror and works well for the weekend that’s in it.