Valentine Bluffs
Valentine Bluffs is an unofficial fan fiction continuation of the 80s slasher film My Bloody Valentine. It was written and directed by Tom “Smitty” Smith. The movie takes place on Valentine’s Day, forty years after the original murders. T.J. and Sarah got married and started new lives in another town. And life in Valentine Bluffs has moved on without them.
Sarah has recently died. She and T.J. were divorced and he moved back home. Their son Peter and his girlfriend have arrived in Valentine Bluffs in order to find T.J., and tell him about Sarah. Valentine Bluffs is preparing to celebrate the day by having a Valentine’s Day dance. The mayor is opening a rather tasteless museum dedicated to the original Miner murders, in the hopes of making money for the town. Unfortunately, the Miner has come back in time for the museum’s grand opening.
This was a great sequel to the original film. It started off a little slow, but once it found its footing, the fun didn’t stop. The movie locations were well chosen, including filming in an actual mine. It took me right back to the original movie. I don’t know what kind of budget the movie had, but the money was spent very wisely. We almost forgot we were watching a fan film.
John Piekos’s cinematography was fabulous. The movie was very well-lit, so you don’t have to strain your eyes to see any of the action. There was no shaky camera work to make you nauseous. The camera work during the Miner’s kills and for the action scenes in the mine was spot on! The movie’s score was very good and the music choices were well-placed throughout the movie.
The dialogue was well written and the cast played believable small mining town characters. We even had a few laughs. There are some impressive cast members too. Lloyd Kauffman as Mayor Otterman is the movie’s comic relief. Lloyd’s movie career spans fifty years, including starting the indie movie studio Troma Films. Mike Sutton plays Sheriff John. He has also had a long career, including roles in the cable shows House of Cards and We Own This City. Other significant cast members are Richard John Waters, who played Harry Warden in My Bloody Valentine, and Michael Everett Johnson
I was very impressed with the special effects! The props looked more real than I expected. The kills were creative and looked impressive. And the miner was perfect! He looked just as good as in the first movie. There were several that seemed to be tributes to the original film. Chuck Ryan was perfectly menacing as the Miner.
All in all, we really enjoyed the movie! It’s a very well-done homage to the original film. We almost forgot we were watching a fan film. If you’re a fan of My Bloody Valentine, I highly recommend Valentine Bluffs. And kudos to the entire team for making such a great film. We’re looking forward to what they do next. Valentine Bluffs is streaming on YouTube. Click here and enjoy the show.