We're kicking off 2026 with a bang and diving into the classic slasher flick, "My Bloody Valentine." This film is a wild ride through a mining town where love and terror collide—literally! As we gear up for the Anomaly Film Festival happening from November 11th to 15th in beautiful Rochester, New York, we're hyped to discuss the movie's gory charm and its memorable characters. We’ll chat about the love triangle drama and the town's unfortunate history that led to a killer returning on Valentine’s Day. So grab your popcorn, and let’s dig into the blood-soaked fun of this Canadian classic!

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Hey.

Hello, and welcome to the Anomaly Presents Podcast, the podcast about the genre movies that inspired a genre film festival.

I have them.

I have them.

The 11th to the 15th.

Meg.

Yeah, I'm useful.

November 11th to the 15th.

We did it.

So, yeah.

Join us November 11th through the 15th in beautiful Rochester, New York, at the Little Theater and the Dryden Theater and other places we may determine later down the road.

We are going into year eight, is that right?

Yes.

Yes.

Listen to my bones.

So, yeah, this is where we are.

So we have recently defrosted.

We went into the deep freeze after the festival.

This is our first show back, and we.

We've made it thematically appropriate.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?

Oh, he's rusty.

He's rusty.

So, first, before we get into it, let me introduce our podcastronaut.

I am so excited to be doing this again, y'.

All.

Oh, man.

So let me introduce our podcastronauts.

We'll start with the amazingly talented Megan Murphy.

That's you.

Hi.

That's me.

It's me.

We back.

And we'll go to the talented and amazing Kristin Pelk.

Pacheco.

Kp.

Hi, I'm.

I. Hi, everybody.

I'm punching my time card in for our shift tonight.

I'm ready.

That's smooth, kp.

Smooth.

Yep.

Like the Chilean miners.

No, we are actually going into it.

It's my Bim Bam joke.

Anyway, yeah, so it is my bloody Valentine.

Speaking of miners, we're going to talk about a lovely piece of Canuckspl.

Exploitation.

I think I've seen it described.

Yeah, it's can exploitation.

1981'S classic My Bloody Valentine, directed by George Michalka, who.

Who did win the lifetime achievement award at Fantasia, I think, last year for.

For his work in this amongst many other Canadian genre classics.

It's the, uh.

It's that old tale of man gets buried in a mine on Valentine's Day.

The town ignores him because there's a Valentine's dance.

So then he escapes from the mine, comes back and kills everybody in the town and tells them never to have a Valentine's dance again.

And then 20 years later, they try to have the Valentine's dance again.

Surely, yeah, surely history will not repeat itself.

It's been 20 years.

Who could remember after 20 years?

Surely not the person we had committed for killing everyone.

And yet.

So where do we Want to start with My Bloody Valentine?

It's very Canadian.

Yeah, we just started to start Accents.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

They come and go a little bit.

Sometimes they do.

And that was the interesting piece about it because it's sometimes Canadian and then sometimes Appalachian.

Like, I couldn't.

I couldn't get a beat if this was Nova Scotia or Allentown.

Most of it, like it was.

I think the movie is not specifically set in Canada.

They never say, like, besides Valentine's Bluff, which is a great name for a town.

I think they're trying to be general enough so they could be a general release movie, you know, But I think the Canadian ness lovingly seeps through and it's just like it was filmed in Nova Scotia in a real mine.

So they were.

They were soaking in it.

They were literally and figuratively the spirits of the past.

Yeah, the spirits of the past.

Miners were.

We're coming through them to speak the Canadian ways.

TJ's outfits, 10 out of 10.

Lovely mask representation with his little slutty denim button up with the kerchief at the end there.

Amazing.

I do find there's not enough minors that wear ascots.

Yeah, well, that's the thing.

He is the.

Yeah, he is the one that left and went to the big city and came back.

So I think that's.

To represent that sophisticated side of him was like, you know, a little.

Just a little around the neck, a little flare.

He said, I'm showing up.

I'm going to have a little bit unbuttoned.

I'm going to show a little chest and I'm going to get Sarah back.

That was my plan, baby.

His.

His shirt was button lower than.

I can't remember her name right now.

Patty.

The one where they're.

That sounds right because you're talking.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Where she's like, I have a little low cut number I'm going to wear.

And then it's like one of the most conservative dresses I've ever seen.

Yeah, it's.

It's a mock turtleneck that she comes up with.

What, what I.

What, what is fun about this film as we're starting off is since it's kind of an earlier slasher, they're not teens, they're young adults.

Which is kind of like, if you're talking like about the same time, Black Christmas and Halloween.

Well, Halloween's more a teen, but like Black Christmas, that was the other one I'm thinking of.

Well, now I'm blanking.

But like it was more.

Oh, yeah, Black Christmas.

I keep Saying that, and I'm done.

Anyway, they're like young adults, right?

And then Black Christmas.

Yes.

Yes.

Yeah.

Thank you.

But, like, so this is young adults, right?

And this is before it kind of got down to characters you hate.

These are like, oh, no, they're.

They're working class.

They're all basically where they're gonna be for their whole life.

Except for tj.

Tried.

Right?

That's part of the story.

Yeah.

And then.

Yeah.

And I think we get this.

I appreciate, like, this little love triangle we get because it gives us a little bit of like, oh, no, like, you left.

Yeah.

You.

You took off because you were.

You want a different life.

You left your girl.

She was like, well, I'm living here.

How about this dude, Axel?

And then, of course, you know, TJ comes back, like, oh, I'll just go back to where I was.

But, you know, things have changed, buddy.

Yeah, he really did try to just slip himself in there and not miss a beat.

And I don't know that that worked out for him.

Yeah, well, so I like that that's in there.

Besides just the murder, like, there's also like.

Oh.

There'S a little bit of that, you know, the soap opera element to it and.

Yeah, a little bit.

Characters that you're like are there to pad the numbers.

But then there's Hollis, which counts for five people.

He's.

My God, he's amazing.

Hollis was the best, truly.

I'm glad we all agree on this.

Yeah.

You know, again, like, before, like, characters, we've come a little stereotyped.

Like, he's like the big dude, but he's not the joke dude.

Right.

He's kind of like the stand up dude and he's sweet and he's kind of a badass there at the end.

Took two nails to take him out, you know, and that's like a complexity of character that you, you know, again, you like these characters.

You're like, I don't remember all of them, but in general, I don't want them to die.

Which, you know, it's cool for a slasher.

Except for Howard.

I couldn't get rid of him fast enough.

He's the only exception to the rule.

Immediate poochie vibes.

Yeah.

As soon as he showed up on screen, I was like, I can't wait for you to go back to your home planet.

I'm done with you.

You're annoying as shit.

So you have like, TJ's dad's the mayor and you have the sheriff.

And oh, my favorite Mabel Andre.

I love her.

I'm like, should I be her?

What a death.

My goodness.

A lot of stuff up.

So now it weighs, like.

Okay, I. I see the town.

They're doing their best, but they're like the working class, right?

They're minors.

Like, it's not.

It's not the best.

Like, they're doing what they can to, like, make community.

And you got the young folks trying to figure it out.

But then, of course, the past is never the past, is it?

Right, Exactly.

And before we get further into the plot, I just want to say one of the things I love about this movie so much is that it feels so lived in.

You know what I mean?

Like, and it's something.

It's a very late 70s, early 80s quality where, like, you're watching, you're like, oh, no, this town exists.

This is actually.

You know, there's a bar.

Everything there is, like, dirty and old.

Kind of.

Which you would picture for a small mining town.

Right.

That's.

Seems like maybe it's.

It's approaching the end of its.

Yeah.

Like, it.

It's past its heyday.

Yeah.

The vehicles are like.

Yeah, those are like, kind of older cars that you probably would be like, you know, I was able to buy this for cash because that's what you could afford.

Yeah, they're.

They're all put together with, like, Bondo and Hope.

Yeah, they're.

It's.

Yeah, it's got that.

And I. I feel like that adds a weight to it.

Like, you know, you want them to have this dance because it looks kind of like a bummer to live there.

Like, let's have some fun.

The one thing they have to look forward to.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, the town's called Valentine Bluffs.

Obviously, this was a big deal for them.

Right.

Which apparently, I think they did every year.

It looks like it's the event of the year for this place.

It is decorated up.

There are cakes, multiple cakes that are shaped like hearts.

At this dance, they go all out.

You know how good a dance it is?

Let's say you're a mind supervisor and, like, you're supposed to check the methane level at the mine, but that might slow you down going to the dance.

So not checking it once, that's not gonna bite you in the ass.

You and your buddy are just gonna be at the dance drinking.

No.

No problems.

Nothing's gonna happen.

That will have dire repercussions 20 years later.

Relatively permanent repercussions.

Yeah.

That's how.

That's how they used to party.

Mining parties don't stop.

Yeah.

I do appreciate the lore.

Like, small town, big event.

You get.

You get the picture of everyone that lives in this town.

Yeah.

And who they are and how they're.

First, they don't say, we know that it was banned for 20 years.

And it's only later in a classic lore dump at the bar, which I love.

I love like the bartenders, like, listen, you have no idea why we don't do that.

And we get to hear the story, the.

The.

The legend of.

Of Harry warden and how 20 years ago on Valentine's, there was a dance and guess what?

The supervisors didn't check the methane levels.

And there were five miners down there, and they were trapped.

And they bear.

They.

And, And, and, and they.

And they dug them up.

And six weeks later, they found one survivor, Harry Warden, who had survived by eating the other miners.

So he took a little trip to the mental hospital, but apparently weren't able to hold him because he came back the year next year and he killed those two supervisors.

Da, da, da.

By cutting.

In all honesty.

Yeah.

But you know what?

Comparatively, a small spree.

It was the two people that were like two.

Like, I feel like it was pretty reasonable.

Like, if I had gone nuts six months.

Months in the dark, eating my friends, I feel like maybe two wouldn't have satisfied me.

But it felt like I was like, no, no.

He went for those who are responsible.

And then they.

And then.

Yeah.

Which is a very Canadian way to do it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But.

And I will say the drama of the hearts is great.

And how they kind of keep coming up in different places in, like, the candy heart boxes.

Yeah.

The disgusting hot dog water.

Oh, yeah, we'll get to that.

But I love the idea that he became a legend.

Like, like, even though theoretically he had been taken away, the.

The theory was he would still, like, haunt the streets on Valentine.

So no one.

You cannot celebrate it.

And it was only 20 years later that they felt perhaps there's a chance.

20 years feels like enough time where you're like, yes.

Right.

The older people, you know, remember it, but the younger people.

Right.

These people are in.

They were probably.

Yeah.

They didn't.

Small children and they didn't live through it.

So.

Right.

It's a tall tale.

It could never happen again.

He's locked up.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Exactly.

He's a legend to them.

The.

The adults actually Lived through it.

But for our, our, our young folks now, it's just.

It's a legend.

And they just want to live their life before they hit middle age in this town and then really know that that's it.

They're just looking for some hope and a dance.

And I love that the town goes all out because it's like 20 years of pent up Valentine's energy.

So the decorations, because it's like a street, right?

They have banners across the street from one building to the other side.

Multiple bunting banners.

Paper hearts everywhere.

Lace up the ass.

It's everywhere.

Everywhere.

You know, it's serious business when the laundromat is decorated.

Oh well, I just feel like.

I feel like Mabel in my heart, like is really like the artistic director of Valentine's in that town.

Like I could tell that all comes from her.

A lot of that is her own cutting.

Like she cut out those hearts.

She.

I could tell like that's, you know, she's the spinster.

That's her.

She's like, know what?

No.

This is what I'm here to do.

This is.

This is how I am going to bring joy back to this town.

Decorations, you know.

You know, year 19 and 18, she was like, you sure we can't just maybe go?

Because that last one, I know what happened two years ago.

But like that last one was like really fun.

Can we maybe she's just been.

And she's over every year maybe 15 years working on decorations.

She has them all.

Like this is.

She had these ready to go.

20 years of papercraft just pent up.

I love Mabel so much sewing bunting for 15 years.

But.

But of course the past isn't done and somebody has come back in in the full minor gear that Harry Warren wore, which is so iconic because it's got the big goggly eyes, the little mask thing and the overalls.

So it's like simple but just enough like you can just read enough of a face and you're getting like the heavy breaths.

Right.

Which then is creating that fear.

It's all black and then there's nothing like a bright light in your face right where they can see you and you can't see a darn thing.

So it's peak.

Yeah.

Design like for a slant.

Yeah.

But I also like too is like.

But it also the way doesn't stand out because it's a mining town.

So anyone addressed as a minor could also be like the killer because like everyone has that.

They're everywhere.

They're those, those outfits Are everywhere.

Which is.

Is a fun little bit.

You know, it's.

The town itself is kind of the killer.

I mean there's actual killer.

Everybody.

It's not supernatural, but.

But there's that feeling of the.

The.

The sins of the father in overalls.

Yeah.

So of course somebody's upset.

Maybe it's Harry.

We don't know.

But could be Harry.

Yeah.

They really don't.

I'm trying to think of.

They kind of play around.

I mean it's kind of into Harry right through most of it.

Yeah.

It's 100 the whole time.

Yeah.

Yeah.

They don't give us a couple red herrings or anything or extra.

Like I, I can't go through like, say like either the, like the, the grown ass adults or the young adults.

I don't think any of them are ever given the.

Like, maybe mainly it's like it's probably Harry.

Yeah.

I don't remember any misdirects.

It was pretty much as soon as they realized there was somebody killing people was immediately, it's Harry.

The guy who did it before.

It's definitely the guy that did it before.

Yeah.

And I know that there is a kill fairly early with, but I think the.

The one that we really.

We really know.

Oh no.

Oh no shit's kicked off is.

Is.

Is Mabel.

Poor Mabel.

Yeah.

Because you.

You do get the kill like in the cold open.

Which.

Yeah.

I never quite got a finger on how that worked.

Yeah.

I think it's just supposed to get your attention because I'm like, who?

Why?

What?

Yeah, just nameless.

I. I think, I think he was just warming up.

He didn't want it super public because it'd be embarrassing if he screwed it up.

So I think that was to like.

Get out all the like.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like.

Oh, I'm just.

I'm nervous.

I'm nervous.

I don't know.

And then.

And then it was ready for Mabel because that was gonna be the big public unveiling.

So yeah, she is both killed.

But like that's not the most gruesome part.

It's the disco.

I'm gonna tell you that this movie has some fantastic visuals and some.

Some gory kills.

And so it's the next morning.

She works as a laundromat.

If we said.

Right.

There's all sorts of machines there.

Right.

And I think is it the sheriff who finds her?

The dryers going, thunk the thunk, the thunk.

Squelch, thunk.

Two dryers going.

Which is so brilliant.

There's two dryers Going.

And he's like, it more smells, right?

He's like, oh, it kind of smells in here.

What is that?

And unfortunately, it's what's left of Mabel.

She's a little roasty to, you know what I would say, like a hot dog.

But we have a much more specific hot dog kill later, oddly enough.

Yeah.

An oddly hot dog centric film.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Does that make it Canadian?

I don't know.

Sausages.

But I was like, oh, damn it.

And what's interesting about this film is it was censored fairly heavily when it first came out.

It's only last, like, decade or so that there has been several, like, reconstructions because they were able to save the footage.

It came right after, like, when.

When Friday the 13th came out, there was quite a bit of uproar, like, oh, my God, these kills.

So there was a period of time when some slashers came out right after it where they got extra censored.

Like, super extra censored.

So they said they had to keep going back to the MPAA a couple times and keep taking, like, 30 seconds out of the kills.

So it's only recently that they've got put back in.

Yeah.

So that blood we see now.

Thanks for the restorers.

Because, yeah, a lot of them got cut shorter and you just saw, like, oh, something happened.

Instead of like, oh, there you go.

There goes that eyeball.

There you go.

Or, oh, roasty toasty.

Thanks, restorers.

Somebody put a lot of work into this, and it shows.

It really is artfully done for.

For the.

The gore effects, top notch.

Yeah, yeah.

They stick with you.

All right, so now it's kind of.

Yeah.

Now it's kicked off, and the mayor's like, hey, let's not do a dance.

You know what?

We pushed it.

We, you know, we got a little cocky.

Maybe.

Maybe no.

Because maybe no.

Right.

Does he get a letter?

Oh.

He gets the heart in the beginning.

Right.

He gets the girl.

Yeah.

And that was the first one.

And he's like, okay.

And then Mabel gets, like, a little note.

Yeah.

And then.

Yeah, Mabel do.

But decorate.

I'm fine.

She's too passionate.

She's too passionate.

Locked in.

Want to see a shine?

Oh, yeah.

So the bear's like, hey, let's not.

But of course, they're not kids.

They're young adults.

But still, they're like, oh, man.

What does it.

This is the most brilliant choice.

And by brilliant, I mean not.

Hey, we'll do our own dance.

How about in a mine?

That's Great.

You know, we're doing our own thing in a mine.

It really was a choice, wasn't it?

Yeah.

No one will be there.

Everyone will be home.

There's other places you can bone.

I understand what this party's for.

I get it.

But, like, yeah, a basement.

Somebody's about.

You're adults.

Some of you have places you live.

Not with your parents.

I mean, but there were also giant land yacht cars.

If you're really hurt.

Yeah.

Just park them all together in, like, a caravan.

Yeah.

But they're like, we need a kitchen.

We need bathrooms.

We need very unsafe places to get down.

Because this is what blew my mind about that party is it's like a church potluck.

Yeah.

Like, they came in with the cases of Moosehead beer.

Which, by the way, the most Canadian thing about this movie is that Moosehead beer.

I don't know if any of you have partaken in Moosehead beer.

No.

Yeah.

Don't run out and grab any.

It's challenging.

We love you, Canada.

Matt's opinions are his own.

No, I'll run out and go get some Tim Hortons.

I'm gonna get a double.

Double.

Yeah.

Too far.

Molson's.

That's fine.

But, yeah, Moosehead is.

Yeah.

I'll go put on heated rivalry again.

That's fine.

Don't worry about it.

I'll respect and celebrate Canada in our own way.

That is not Moosehead.

Salute to those young Canadian men.

Their friends and their friends.

Yeah.

It's about international relations.

Wink.

So, yeah, they're.

They're.

They're in the mess hall at the mine.

Right.

What kills me is there is a girl.

There's one woman.

I don't see her paired with anybody else.

This would have been me at the function.

She comes out of the kitchen with, like, four hot dogs.

I'm not exaggerating.

And I'm like, this one.

This.

This would be me where I'm like, oh, food.

Yeah.

Okay, though.

What's wild is we know they were boiled hot dogs.

Why do we know this?

One of the other fun kills is they have this giant pot of just hot dog gray hot dogs.

Boil it away.

And this dude, whose name I don't remember, I think he's hot dog Face now.

Because his kill is getting hot dog watered.

Hot hot dog watered.

Yeah.

He gets boiled a lot.

Robin.

For hot dogs.

Yeah.

But he.

And he's interesting because he's explaining about how he wants to get out of the town.

Like, kind of furthering that whole, like, no escape feeling.

And then Just a face full of hot dog, boiled water.

Hey, everybody.

Your hot dogs and your face deserve better.

If you had just perhaps made them in a pan or got a roller, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

But no, they disrespected those hot dogs, plunged them into that gray water.

A boom.

Now your body is in a freeze.

His name is Dave.

Because they just kept saying Dave.

Dave.

Oh, there's no.

I'm never gonna remember Dave.

Apology to Dave's out there.

Dave.

So sorry.

It just sucks for Dave.

It's.

It's just yelling his name over and over again and it just clicked.

Like, Dave and Sylvia.

Dave and Sylvia.

Like at the.

Because I think we missed.

We see an old guy go into the mine.

Oh, oh, right.

He's the mine guard.

Right.

He's the one who's setting up a joke where he's setting up a fake miner who's going to come and hack at the door.

And he keeps testing it out because he thinks it's hilarious.

So he opens his door, fake little minor pick comes down.

He opens the door, fake little minor picks.

And then, like, perfect timing the last time he opens that door, turns out there's the killer.

And that's when he gets the ice pick.

I think it's through his mouth up to the eye.

Yeah.

Yeah.

The cool eyeball.

Yeah.

Situation.

I feel like he was having a good time up until that last time.

He thought it was the best thing he'd ever done.

The best prank.

Those kids.

Those kids were going to crap their pants.

So up until.

So he smiled as he opened that door for the very last time.

Yeah.

He died doing what he loved.

He did.

And who am I?

Respect that.

And then at the same time, hot dog.

Boys getting boiled.

Yeah.

Alive.

Like right after that.

Yeah.

There's a couple.

Sylvia.

Okay.

Yeah, Sylvia.

And I can't remember who her man is, but they go to have some fun.

Oh, is that the one ahead of time?

Yeah.

And then I. I do have the right one written down.

I'd forgotten because.

Okay.

God.

Hey, everybody.

Yes.

The shower room was wild.

Don't.

Don't get down in a mine.

It's.

It's gross down there.

It's gross.

And then what happens sometimes is you get, like, the cult.

You get separated from your guy, and then somebody kills you by picking you up and then jamming your entire back of your head onto, like, the nozzle for a shower, like an industrial shower.

And then the water comes out your mouth when your guy finds you.

And that's just rude.

Yeah, yeah.

And effective.

What a kill.

Which is also a mirror to earlier in the movie because he kissed her by picking her up by the head, which.

Why would you kiss somebody like that?

Instant red flag.

This feels like a murder that's about to happen.

I'm going to be honest.

Maybe it's the media I consume, but no childhood trauma.

I had a neck injury, and that's how my pediatrician fixed it.

Like a chiropractic like that, just.

Yeah, yeah.

I was wrestling with a friend and it screwed up my neck.

And my.

My pediatrician, who I think was 140 years old at the moment, picked me up both sides of my head, lifted me, and then just shook me out over the table.

He's just like, whoop.

I am amazed I lived.

Oh, hey, before we get farther, I think it's important to mention a little bit the love triangle, because I think that is going to come up a bit in that, like.

And.

Oh, God, I forgot her name.

I feel bad that I forgot her name.

Her name is Sarah.

So it's.

But I feel like tj, Axel, also forgot her name because Sarah, at a certain point, is sick of both of their shit.

You know, she has a thing where TJ basically kidnaps her for a while and.

And takes her out and basically says, I screwed up.

I was feeling bad.

That's why I didn't contact you.

And then Axel's been kind of weird and overprotective, and at the party, she's like, hey, guess what?

I'm sick of your shit.

And also, I'm sick of your shit.

Like, she's very much like, I'm kind of done with both of this, you know, which good for her, because this was kind of ridiculous.

But it is going to come to a head again as folks realize stuff is happening.

Oh, wait, people went down.

Because before they know if people are being killed, four of them, including Hollis, decide, you know what we should do also go in the mine.

I'll give you a tour.

They get.

So they, TJ and Axel get into a fist fight over it.

Oh, yeah.

And then Hollis throws Axel out and is like, go cool off.

And he just over acts that it's very silly.

We're like, is that when he goes.

Out, he opens the beer?

Yeah.

Slams the door, opens the beer.

Yep.

Finds a corner to, like, cry in, which.

Fair enough, bud.

Yeah.

He's.

He's having a time.

Axel's having a time.

Oh, right.

Because then Jessica goes with Hollis and the other two into the mines, and.

Then they go play Donkey Kong.

They go live.

Donkey Kong adventure on the mine cart.

Right?

Let's have a tour.

And it's only after they're gone that the, like, oh, my God, the hot.

Not only did that guy get killed in hot dog water, and.

But we find out later his heart is in there, too.

And it's the same gray as the hot.

Dogs don't boil hearts either.

Everybody doesn't look yummy.

And that girl was back for more hot dogs after the three or four that she had.

That's why this is what I wanted to say.

They boiled that boy's head for who knows how long.

And then people went back for seconds and thirds on those hot dogs.

They had eyeball dogs.

Do you think they tasted better?

They're like, I don't know what happened.

But, yo, they're getting more iron.

I don't know what's happening.

Like, are these still those Oscar Myers?

Because these really.

These are fancy.

What.

What happened here?

And I think at the same time, the sheriff, he doesn't find a candy box with a heart in it because dogs did already.

He's going outside the office, and there's dogs eating a human heart out of.

Out of a candy box.

So he's like, oh, yeah, I guess something's up.

Yeah.

Because he had called, and I can't remember when he had called to confirm.

Hey, yeah, where's Harry?

Did he break out?

And then it's around at that point where he finds out, oh, Harry Warden's been dead for five years.

Who could be.

Yeah, well, they're like, listen, we have no record.

So he's either dead, escaped, or transferred.

That's the information this woman gives.

She's like, not our problem anymore.

Basically, all I know is he's not here.

Bye.

He's not here.

Bye.

Lose my number.

Lose my number.

Don't call back.

Impressed.

Sucks to be you.

Good luck.

Happy Valentine's Day, Per.

Because I think at this point, it could still be Harry.

We just don't know.

Right?

Like, there's, like, we're.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We're still functioning under the assumption it's Harry.

Yeah.

Because why would we think.

Spoiler alert.

Hey, hey, hey, y' all don't listen to this podcast anymore.

If we haven't hinted at it, I just.

I just feel like, you know, but.

Yeah.

So then they start discovering.

Is that point of the.

The film where, like, the bodies get found.

Yeah.

Both Sylvia and our boy Dave get found, and everyone's screaming.

And so Axel or TJ Tries to call on the Phone.

Phone line's dead.

Because this is a horror movie before cell phones.

And.

Him and Axel basically say, everyone get out of here.

Go tell the sheriff, you know.

Yeah, we're gonna throw this.

Just.

We're gonna throw this and go.

Go save the girls and.

And Hollis and forget about Howard.

Howard is just there.

Howard.

Howard.

That's good.

We.

We find him later.

But no one seems too worried about where he went, so.

So, no, because he ran off.

That was.

Yeah, he just.

They were like, ah, he's.

He's a wuss.

He's a coward.

He left the girls.

And so, yeah, they kind of wrote him off.

So, like, the last part of the film I love is all in the mine, which I think is just a great setting.

They filmed it in a real mine.

Like, they had just.

Just been, like, shut down, abandoned.

Apparently they had to dirty it up because it was actually a much cleaner situation, like, as a functioning mine.

So they had to spend, like, something like thousands of dollars to make it look crappy, to make it look like.

Like, super old, which I love.

But they also.

That's part of the reason I think it's really effective lighting, is that that was the lighting they could use.

There really was concern about gas down there, so they could not bring heavy duty lighting down there because.

Let's not blow up the film.

And they had to go up and down on the elevators, like, with all the equipment, and.

And apparently it was freezing down there, so not fun to shoot.

But I think you can tell, like, because it's like this real mine.

It has that look.

It feels very.

Like.

It feels real.

Like, I don't want to be down there.

I absolutely.

I wouldn't want to be down there.

No.

So it's.

Yeah, so it's a great setup there where it's like, oh, here's the end.

Who's going to make it?

Not Hollis.

And I'm upset about it.

Alice, this is the thing.

Hollis, the strongest, the nicest, handsome, the most intelligent, the most Canadian of all of them.

He had the charm that, like, nobody else did.

Yeah, 100%.

Yeah.

Neither TJ nor Axel.

I'm like, jessica, wrong dude.

But Hollis was taken.

So what are you gonna do?

Yeah, yeah.

Real Dan Haggerty type.

Like, yeah, he's great.

And they.

They realize they have to get out because he stumbles upon that couple that's been murdered.

Right.

There's another drill through both of them.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Bravo.

Yeah, yeah.

And then that's another goodie.

We got to get out of here.

And then runs bolts.

Yep.

Yeah.

And then our boy Hollis takes a nail gun to the face twice.

Yeah.

Like, first one doesn't take him down, though.

That's how much of a bro a dude this guy was.

1.

And he was still.

He was still like, I'll take him out.

It took two.

Godspeed, Hollis.

And then I know his.

Yeah, I know his girlfriend got the, like, pickaxe through.

Well, like.

Yeah.

First I forget what came to.

Then they sync back up with TJ and Axel, and then they find out that they can't get back up the elevator because the power is no cut off.

It's.

It's all broken.

What happened?

Yep.

Yep.

The only way back up is up a ladder.

And Patty needed to put a sock in it and suck it up, but she.

She didn't have the shoes for it.

Oh, yeah.

And didn't have the shoes.

Scared of heights.

Axel's just like, you know, he's just up there.

And Patty is just spiraling to the point where Sarah's like, knock it off.

But you know what?

It's fine because they abandoned the ladder when Howard's body falls down.

Hanging.

And to the point where the rope pops his head off.

Yep.

And they get splittered in the blood.

Yeah.

An additional.

Yeah, Right.

Like.

Oh, the normal, like, ha ha.

The body's hung.

No, his entire head pops off.

So it really.

Well, the head stays.

The body falls.

It bounces.

Yeah.

I want to explain this correctly.

Should be halfway up.

So.

Yeah.

I don't know why they kind.

I don't know why they stopped.

TJ was like, go back down.

Why?

Yeah, because I'd understand if Axel said something.

But it was tj, right?

It was.

Well, why would you expect that from Axel?

I don't know.

That's a weird thing for me to say right now.

So I feel.

Next.

Yeah.

Say something like that.

No reason at all.

So now they're like, the only way.

Suspicious.

He's suspicious.

Yeah.

They have to take the mine cart.

They're like, okay, no elevator.

We can't climb up.

We'll take the kind of long, slow, like, mine carts.

That's their only hope.

And.

But then that's when they lose Axel because they're walking across this water and they hear a yell and a splash.

And then TJ's like, he's done her.

Which is kind of hilarious.

Yeah.

They don't even reach half a beat.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oops.

My romantic.

Yeah.

Yeah.

He's like, sarah, don't worry about it.

I'll take in my Strong arms.

You don't have to worry about him anymore.

He always wanted to float face down in the mine.

That's how he wanted to go.

It's 60ft deep.

He's got no chance.

And there's just bubbles.

Yeah, that's it.

Well, can't see him.

He's dead.

He's gone.

Sorry.

So they move, they move on.

They move on quickly.

Yeah.

But I can't.

Then that's when I think things get a little fuzzy again for me.

They lost TJ because they're like.

So we've got Jessica and Patty, Right.

And they're moving ahead and then behind them they also hear a noise.

And TJ's gone.

Yeah.

Because they lose.

This is where we start to get.

This is where we get the misdirect.

This is where things get a little squidgy.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Because now we're missing two people and if you don't see any bodies.

Yeah.

You don't know if who's dead or a murderer.

Yeah.

The ladies reach the mine cart and then all of a sudden the miner shows up.

Right?

Yeah.

And then Patty gets impaled.

Yeah.

That's when Patty gets impaled.

And you know what?

I'll give her this as a diva.

She took her time dying.

Like she's like, she's like staring and then she holds on to it and he's like trying to pull it out.

Which boss move.

Yeah.

I'm going to make you slightly inconvenienced.

I'm wasting five more seconds of your life.

Very Paul Reubens esque death.

Oh, yes.

Yeah.

And then TJ shows back up and he's got a little bit of blood on him.

Like he got bonked.

And he, Sarah starts asking some questions.

Like he's like, don't worry about it.

I got knocked out.

It's fine then.

And then there's a minecart chase, which I love.

And that it's slowly moving up.

And then you've got T.J. and, and Jessica.

And then you have the minor kind of like.

Because it's, it's, it's an awkward situation.

You can't move smooth on something like that.

Yeah.

No.

So it's, it's three people clumsily moving along a slow moving mining cart.

Which I appreciate.

I'm like, this is the best.

This is great.

I love this.

It's so janky and I love every bit of it.

Right.

And then now.

Oh.

And then the miner gets TJ off the mo.

The cart.

And then Jessica jumps off to.

I Guess in support.

Because then they.

There is a shovel versus pickaxe fight.

Yeah.

And he just keeps yelling at her where he's like, get back, get back.

And then they end up going into the old part of the mine that's been abandoned.

Yeah.

From 20 years ago.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

That mind collapse.

And I think at the certain point it looks like the miners got TJ on the ground.

Like he's.

He's down there and like, oh, no ropes.

Then she.

But then.

Yeah.

She knocks the mask off.

Yeah.

And bump, bump, bump.

Okay, so I'm sorry.

Like a surprise.

You couldn't have figured out by anything I said previously.

It was Axel.

It was Axel all along.

But how.

But why?

Yeah, nothing.

He verbalizes.

We see.

I don't think.

I think TJ and Jesco just watching him stare for a minute.

Right.

Because he doesn't say anything, you know, not a thing.

Just the most pitiful look on his face.

Just kind of staring.

But we see the flashback.

Turns out he was the child of one of those supervisors and he was hiding under the bed and he saw Harry Warden kill his dad and take his heart out.

So.

I think he's just angry.

Plus, I'll be honest, I'll give you this.

I think he's upset about Jessica and tj.

I don't think that that is not included.

I think he's upset about what happened to his dad, but he's also extra like, hey, but I stayed, baby.

Yeah.

Like, they don't mention that, but I feel like there's a tinge of that too.

Right?

Like.

Yeah, there's a situation.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

But it's at that point, I believe, where the rest of the town finally shows.

Like the sheriff and the posse.

Yeah.

Yep.

Yeah.

Running down.

They just got the whole gang there, all the miners, all the grown ups who were at home.

Yeah, yeah.

And at home relaxing.

Yeah.

Basically combined to collapse again.

But just where Axel is and he has an arm sticking out.

No, it's because with the pickaxe, he's knocking everything down.

Oh, he's swinging and he's like bringing down the.

That.

That.

That's on him.

That's on him.

Yeah.

Literally, I'm triggering.

That's not on him.

The worst.

The slowest.

Just.

Yeah.

But yes, it is.

And what I love is for some reason Jessica decides to go back and he's got just his hand sticking out.

So she reaches for it, like, I guess as a final sign of like, I'm sorry, didn't work out or something.

But she doesn't know that he's been hacking at his arm.

So she pulls it back and she just has Axel's arm dangling.

Bloody stump.

And then he maniacally crawling and laughing, calling out to Harry Warden.

He's.

Axel's loose in the mines.

Crazy.

And maybe some.

He would have come back if they made a sequel, though in all honesty, this is kind of before you were guaranteed a sequel.

I think it's more than a legend.

Like, I got the feeling the ending was more like.

It perpetuates, like, this generation has its own Harry Warden.

And then we get.

We get the title of the movie.

He kind of like Cat Sarah, Be My Bloody Valentine.

Oh, that was good.

You're right.

I'm sorry.

I forgot the title.

DiCaprio Point.

Yep.

Yep.

And yeah, yeah, then we get the.

Ballad of Harry Warden, which is but.

The brightest bootleg Gordon Lightfoot version of the Ballad of Harry Warden.

Like that.

That has to be like a very specific Canadian genre, because it is identically Gordon Lightfoot.

Well, I was.

One of the things I was.

I was reading about this.

I forget if it was an essay.

And I love this person's feeling on it.

They said, in many ways, this entire movie is like a murder ballad.

It is a warning.

It is a story that was.

It was lore that was told and is then is repeated again.

So in a way, the Ballad of Harry Ward, it ends with a murder ballad.

It's about a bad thing that happened, you know, and it's a bit of a warning and a bit of a telling the story.

And I was like, oh, I like that.

It's very.

Yeah.

So I. I wish I could be like, yo, everybody, it's a murder ballad.

I thought of that.

Me, Megan, I did it.

It was probably a YouTube video.

As I wrote down my notes, I. I did.

I did not source it.

You could probably just search up my Bloody Valentine murder ballad on YouTube and you'll find the person who was smart enough to figure that out.

But it's awesome.

I really such a great.

Yeah, yeah.

That's a great read of that.

Yeah.

That is My Bloody Valentine.

Yeah.

What a joy.

Never watched it, though.

I've seen it.

So it was made to be 3D.

And you can tell, which is weird when you're watching it in 2D, because then it becomes goofy.

It is.

It feels very nice.

And I think it's partly because it was digitally shot, so it's very.

Has that kind of flatness to it.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, like, like, like the 80s is also early 90s.

But it does have Jensen, one of the supernatural boys in it.

So.

So yeah.

Jensen Ackles, J.B. presley.

I was looking at the.

Oh man.

Yeah.

And it's supposedly a sequel which makes no sense because it's 20 years later and Jensen is playing TJ who comes.

Back to town and then there's an axel in it.

Yeah.

No, no, it's.

They changed the ending and in all honesty, not.

I'm not going to ruin it, but I'm going to be like.

It does one of those trophy things where you're like son of a.

Why'd I even bother watching this film?

There's some fun stuff in it.

It's not the worst, but it does one of the worst choices for an ending that like I started swearing.

I was like, oh man, I was kind of with you movie.

Now I'm furious.

And all you had to do was not do this.

All you had to do is make any other choice, right?

Oh, it's gonna tell you.

No.

It's, it's.

It is mid.

I remember it being solidly mid.

It does not have the charm of the original.

Originality.

Kinda.

Yeah.

It doesn't feel like you're dealing with like working class folks in a town.

Like it doesn't, it doesn't have that additional level of like that already dead endness to it.

Like, oh good.

The town you're born in is the town you're gonna die in.

Just.

You didn't know as soon as this.

So.

Yeah.

Unfortunate.

Yeah, it's.

But Tom Atkins is in it.

Well, that's fun.

Yeah.

I mean he's good, but of course he's good.

He's always.

When is he not?

When is he not?

Yeah.

So that's pleasant.

Again, it's not like the worst, but it makes a real unfortunate decision at the end which kind of taints everything.

Which you will have to tell me.

Once we stop recording.

So.

Oh, oh, I can't wait.

Look at me.

I'm holding it together.

I'm looking, I'm looking in the camera so that you know, I'm making eye contact with you.

Thank you.

Across from Rochester, JP gave me strength to make it through to the end.

Everybody.

Yeah, this was a joy.

Real unnerved.

People on YouTube.

This was my first time watching this, and I was pleasantly surprised.

So there's something about early slashers I think I really like, because Black Christmas is great.

Yeah.

It's before they had.

They had the pattern so figured out that they started cookie cuttering them.

Yeah.

This is all like.

Yeah, they're unique characters that I'm interested in.

Like, Black Christmas.

I'm super interested in all those characters.

They're going through it.

Yeah.

She's talking to her.

Her boyfriend about an abortion.

I'm like, holy.

In a slasher.

Yeah.

Because she's living an entire life that's actual characters.

Yes.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah, It's.

Yeah, it's an additional issue in my life.

It's not the only one.

It's just one other piece.

I have this man tap dancing on every one of last of my nerves.

But it's, like, real.

It feels real.

Yeah.

And so I appreciate you, Megan, for this suggestion for this one.

My sweetheart will not watch this for Valentine's Day, but.

Fair enough.

Yes.

But I. I enjoyed it for Valentine's Day.

It's also the best town sign in.

In film history.

Like, it's up there with like, welcome to Denton in Rocky Horror.

But this one may be ahead because it's got neon.

That's what got me.

I was like, this little town has a neon sign coming in.

Oh, this is amazing.

Yeah.