Reviews
‘My Bloody Valentine’ (1981) Review: This Vday, Will There be Flowers? Or a Pickaxe?

My Bloody Valentine is a 1981 horror slasher flick written by John Beaird and directed by George Mihalka. It is a film that really scratches all of the main metaphorical horror-related itches for fans of gore and slashers. It has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it in high school. It resonated with the angsty teenager in me because I was somewhat of an anti-fun kid and was very skeptical about the nature of certain holidays. The main target of my holiday skepticism was Valentine’s Day; I thought it was a superficial holiday created to sell gift cards and cheap chocolates. So naturally, when I first saw the disembowelment, murder, and impalements that My Bloody Valentine is chock full of, I was instantly hooked and greeted the film with genuine delight.
MBV Follows the story of a group of young adults throwing a Valentine’s Day party in a mining town. As the plot progresses, we learn that twenty years prior, a mining explosion killed a group of miners and left one half-alive; the sole survivor eventually discovered amongst the rubble gnawing at his own flesh. He was deemed mentally handicapped and allegedly sent to a mental asylum. Quickly, we learn the miner has returned to plague the group and hinder their plans to enjoy the Valentine’s Day party, which was a long-standing tradition for the town prior to the incident.
MBV does a lot of things right. As the film opens, we’re greeted by a winded, wheezing miner walking around a mine where he discovers a female miner removing her coal dusted clothes. She notices his presence and performs a light-hearted strip tease, only enticing him to impale her with his pickaxe as the trademark 80s synthesizer sound blares. It was an awesome way to begin a slasher. Promptly after this intro, the movie establishes the unique legend of the antagonist Harry Warden early on. It introduces us to our cast of victims and sets the stage for a gathering of most of the characters bunched together in a centralized location, that location being above the very mine where the incident occurred twenty years prior. All this happens within the first 25 minutes, so the movie opens strong and wastes no time setting the stage. I appreciate this because I often feel that slashers tend to stumble around and spend too much time world-building rather than getting to what we are mostly all here for: the gore, the scares, and the deaths.
Musically, the movie moved me magnificently. I consider the 70s and 80s to be the pinnacle of horror film score composition because the often campy (and in my opinion, charming) practical gore effects depicted on-screen during this era, paired with simple synthesizer chords and melodies, create a genuinely creepy and almost disheveled atmosphere that compliments the subject matter of a gory slasher flick. MBV executes this flawlessly.
Ultimately, My Bloody Valentine delivers exactly what the title promises. It’s Valentine’s Day, and dear lord, is it bloody. It has some of the coolest kill scenes I can recall. There are impalements on showerheads, protruding from the corpse with water flowing like a corporate office courtyard fountain; there are severed human hearts gift wrapped in candy boxes with ghoulish poems inside and left for people to find. Also included are plenty of unique mining equipment-related deaths, which is appreciated because I can only witness so many kitchen-knife murders before growing tired of them. Mining is the name of the game, and the tools of the trade, including drill bits, mine shaft rail cars, and pickaxes, all play a gruesome role throughout the entirety of the movie. In fact, the film was so gory that it had nine entire minutes of gore cut upon its initial release. Eventually, decades later, an uncut version was released.
For any fan of gore, horror, or slashers, this is an absolute non-negotiable, must-watch. This February 14th, cuddle up next to your significant other for a nice Valentine’s Day movie because nothing says, “Happy Valentine’s Day, babe,” like a deranged lunatic in a mining mask drowning a guy in boiling hotdog water.
Reviews
[REVIEW] ‘The Last Thing Mary Saw’: A Tale of Love and Loss
The Last Thing Mary Saw takes us to 1840s New York, where Mary (Stefanie Scott) finds herself on the opposite end of the law. Her family has been massacred, and she is the prime suspect. Mary’s life has been turbulent lately when word of her relationship with housemaid Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman) comes to light.

I’m pretty much a broken record at this point from saying I’m not a huge fan of pre-1950s period pieces. The Devil’s Bath was a recent film that changed my mind about how I view period pieces, especially ones with a distinct message. For June, I wanted to take a wider look at LGBTQ+ representation and not just watch films that take place in a modern(ish) world. The Shudder Original The Last Thing Mary Saw could be the film to bring me out of my comfort zone and transport me to a world I would never know.
Exploring LGBTQ+ Representation in Historical Context
The Last Thing Mary Saw takes us to 1840s New York, where Mary (Stefanie Scott) finds herself on the opposite end of the law. Her family has been massacred, and she is the prime suspect. Mary’s life has been turbulent lately when word of her relationship with housemaid Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman) comes to light.
Love will always find a way, but the outcome may be far from what you expect.
Edoardo Vitaletti’s Directorial Debut
Writer/director Edoardo Vitaletti’s directorial feature debut is truly a sight to behold, pun intended. His approach to this film is one of care and respect. The film’s subject matter is incredibly distressing, and while not ‘based on…’, it feels all too authentic.
Mary and Eleanor are put through emotional and physical torture by those who vehemently disagree with their lifestyle. One thing I could never understand about religion is the hate that surrounds it. Luke 6:31, “treat others as you want to be treated.” Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”
But the hate felt by nearly every marginalized community comes from the people who spend two hours on their knees for a zombie every Sunday.
A religious-like film such as Martyrs revels in its torture and uses it as a focal point to create a concise line between good and evil. Rather than making it a focal point, Vitaletti uses the pain and anguish of Mary and Eleanor to tell the heartbreaking story of two women who just want to be in love.
Standout Performances by Scott and Fuhrman
Stefanie Scott gives a chilling performance as Mary, but while not the titular character, Orphan’s Isabelle Fuhrman steals the show. Vitaletti struck gold on the casting for his debut as narry a performance falls flat.
It’s impressive to see a filmmaker with a singular short film under his belt pull such powerful performances out of actors while simultaneously never losing sight of their visual storytelling. Along with Black Friday cinematographer David Kruta, Vitaletti crafts a deliberate, atmospheric tale of love and loss.
A Gripe with Chapter Breakdowns in The Last Thing Mary Saw
My main issue with the film is something I’ve discussed before and is a pretty ridiculous gripe. Films that are less than one hour and 45 minutes should not be broken down into chapters. It strains a film’s pacing and puts the creatives in a box where they MUST hit certain beats to get to the end of said chapter.
There are some moments in the film where it does feel stretched out to accommodate its chapters, as well as times it feels a bit forced to end a chapter.
The Last Thing Mary Saw is a beautiful look at a time thankfully long gone. Well, there are still, unfortunately, a few too many people who think like the antagonists of this film. I’m not sure of the staying power a film like this has in the overall zeitgeist of the genre.
It doesn’t do enough to stand out as a powerful film, even though it’s visually gorgeous and has enough agency to feel effective in what it’s trying to say. This film is definitely not Friday night movie marathon material (it would put one hell of a damper on the night!), but the genre is in an overall better place because it exists.
Reviews
[Tribeca Film Festival 2025] ‘Man Finds Tape’: A Sinister Mockumentary With Something For Everyone

For centuries, humans have been captivated by photographic evidence of the supernatural. From 19th century spirit photos to modern day TikToks of mimics, we just can’t get enough. Paul Gandersman and Peter Hall’s debut feature Man Finds Tape explores the idea of recording supernatural phenomena, as well as how other people react to it.
The Viral Mystery of Man Finds Tape
Lucas Page (played by William Magnuson) achieved internet notoriety after finding old, disturbing tapes in his childhood home, where he still lives. After the discovery of the first tape, which features him as a child and an unidentified person who puts something in his mouth while he was sleeping, Lucas began documenting his investigation into it, as well as the discovery of other tapes—featuring the other members of his family. As one does in our modern age of “share everything!”, Lucas posted videos of his investigation online, in a series he titled—you guessed it—“Man Finds Tape”. His series went viral, leading to thousands of people getting invested in the unfolding story, spectators egging him on, doubters accusing him of making everything up…and, of course, people tracking down his sister, Lynn (Kelsey Pribilski), and posting TikToks in which they invade her space and intrude upon her professional life.
Lynn is, understandably, not a fan of “Man Finds Tape”, so she’s less than thrilled when Lucas requests an urgent Zoom call to show her a video. This one isn’t from their childhood, though; it’s recent surveillance footage of a fatal hit-and-run on a main street in their hometown of Larkin, Texas. The homicide happened in broad daylight, and there were witnesses…sort of. In the video, everyone on the street stops moving simultaneously with their heads bowed down.
It’s enough to get Lynn to return to Larkin, albeit reluctantly and with a healthy amount of skepticism. When she reunites with her brother to help him investigate, things take a sharp twist and get even weirder. The siblings find themselves in the midst of a supernatural occurrence that’s been infecting the people in Larkin for years. At the heart of it all is Reverend Endicott Carr (John Gohlson)—a charismatic preacher and televangelist revered as a pillar of the community.
Style and Execution: A Fresh Take on Found Footage
Presented as a documentary, complete with 911 calls, interviews, recovered footage, and internet forums, Man Finds Tape is a bold and genuinely unsettling addition to the found footage horror genre. Pribilski and Magnuson star as Lynn and Lucas, respectively, both independently and as a team in their shared scenes. Their portrayal of familial conflict overcome by unwavering love and loyalty makes them believable as siblings. Nell Kessler also shines through in her performance as Wendy Parker, Lucas’s one-time girlfriend who is now a surrogate carrying Carr’s baby. Brian Villalobos is also featured as a mysterious stranger who is running his own investigation into Carr. Gohlson’s performance as Endicott Carr is fantastically sinister, but not overly so—he balances paranormal spookiness with the run-of-the-mill creep factor inherent in televangelists.
Along with a strong cast, Man Finds Tape has an interesting and compelling story that will hold viewers captive and at the edge of their seat. There’s something in this film for everyone: true found footage (as in, characters find disturbing recordings), a well-executed mockumentary style, cryptids, small town eeriness, body horror (major trypophobia warning!), and religious horror. The film gets a bit too expository towards the end, but the rest of the movie more than makes up for it.
Man Finds Tape had its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival