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My Bloody Valentine
February 14, 1960
The coastal mining town of Valentine Bluffs suffered a tragic mine explosion, trapping twenty workers in the rubble for weeks.
Only one man, having desperately resorted to cannibalism, survived.
His name was Harry Warden. On
the one-year anniversary of the explosion, Harry brutally murdered the supervisors whose negligence led to that fateful tragedy when they left their posts early to attend the town's famous Valentine's Day celebration. Harry has been locked away in anasylum for the criminally insane ever since.
Now, it's 1981 and the town is gearing up for its first Valentine's Day celebration in two decades. Decorations line the streets and roses are flying off the shelves. When the town mayor receives a box of candy containing a gruesome warning, fear of another potential murder spree causes the celebration to be canceled. For the locals too young to remember their town's dark past and too old to be afraid of ghost stories, they defy the mayor's decree and hold their own private Valentine's gathering.
But a killer has decided to crash their party.
As the beer flows, so too, will the blood.
The coastal mining town of Valentine Bluffs suffered a tragic mine explosion, trapping twenty workers in the rubble for weeks.
Only one man, having desperately resorted to cannibalism, survived.
His name was Harry Warden. On
the one-year anniversary of the explosion, Harry brutally murdered the supervisors whose negligence led to that fateful tragedy when they left their posts early to attend the town's famous Valentine's Day celebration. Harry has been locked away in anasylum for the criminally insane ever since.
Now, it's 1981 and the town is gearing up for its first Valentine's Day celebration in two decades. Decorations line the streets and roses are flying off the shelves. When the town mayor receives a box of candy containing a gruesome warning, fear of another potential murder spree causes the celebration to be canceled. For the locals too young to remember their town's dark past and too old to be afraid of ghost stories, they defy the mayor's decree and hold their own private Valentine's gathering.
But a killer has decided to crash their party.
As the beer flows, so too, will the blood.
- GenresHorror
327 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 13, 2023
"Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
One is dead,
And so are you!"
Welcome to Valentine Bluffs!
My Bloody Valentine is one of my favorite horror movies. It was one of those films that I’ve seen at a young age and it stuck with me throughout my life. It’s one that I always recommend to new horror lovers. Plus it’s my go to film to watch on that cold February day.
Having one of my favorite films turned into a novel was kind of terrifying because it could definitely break something that I adored for most of my life. The cover and hardcase designs are absolutely amazing and I was stunned at how these two things captured the essence of this horror film. What was between these pages matched the movie perfectly.
RTC
Violets are blue,
One is dead,
And so are you!"
Welcome to Valentine Bluffs!
My Bloody Valentine is one of my favorite horror movies. It was one of those films that I’ve seen at a young age and it stuck with me throughout my life. It’s one that I always recommend to new horror lovers. Plus it’s my go to film to watch on that cold February day.
Having one of my favorite films turned into a novel was kind of terrifying because it could definitely break something that I adored for most of my life. The cover and hardcase designs are absolutely amazing and I was stunned at how these two things captured the essence of this horror film. What was between these pages matched the movie perfectly.
RTC
February 28, 2023
3.5/5⭐️ My Bloody Valentine is the novel adaptation to the 1981 movie written by Armando Muñoz.
In Februaury 14, 1960 the mining town of Valentine Bluffs experienced its most tragic accident. While the town citizens were celebrating their annual Valentine's Day dance, a collapse at the Hanniger Mine traps and kills 20 miners. One year later, lone survivor Harry Warden gets revenge on the town by killing two mining supervisors who had left the mine early to attend the dance. Harry warns the town that he will continue to kill every year unless they cancel all Valentine's Day celebrations.
Twenty years later, love and celebration are spreading through the town and Harry Warden has drifted to becoming a local legend. Young couples convince the town to organize a new Valentine's Day dance. As party preparation begins, two chocolate boxes are discovered containing victims' bloody hearts. Harry Warden has returned.
I'm a big fan of the 1981 film and even enjoy the 2009 remake. The original film's creators had to drastically edit the film and censor itself to get down to an R rating. Many of these cut scenes were never filmed or left on the cutting room floor and lost for decades. Director George Mihalka never got to make the Director's Cut he always wanted to release. The next best thing was to release a novel based off the original drafts of the screenplay.
I really enjoyed the background information on the town and the characters where we get more insights and motivation. One of the major issues though is the two main male characters are complete assholes and the main female protagonist's defining character trait is that she is in a love triangle of the two asshole males and is fed up with their attitudes. The readers are not given any additional reason to care for her. While this works in a 90 minute slasher movie, the novel should have gone a little further in fleshing out the character. Thankfully the author had the film's well established story to work on because the new material is very clunky. I don't think I would recommend the book to nonfans, but it is a fun experience for fans of the films.
In Februaury 14, 1960 the mining town of Valentine Bluffs experienced its most tragic accident. While the town citizens were celebrating their annual Valentine's Day dance, a collapse at the Hanniger Mine traps and kills 20 miners. One year later, lone survivor Harry Warden gets revenge on the town by killing two mining supervisors who had left the mine early to attend the dance. Harry warns the town that he will continue to kill every year unless they cancel all Valentine's Day celebrations.
Twenty years later, love and celebration are spreading through the town and Harry Warden has drifted to becoming a local legend. Young couples convince the town to organize a new Valentine's Day dance. As party preparation begins, two chocolate boxes are discovered containing victims' bloody hearts. Harry Warden has returned.
I'm a big fan of the 1981 film and even enjoy the 2009 remake. The original film's creators had to drastically edit the film and censor itself to get down to an R rating. Many of these cut scenes were never filmed or left on the cutting room floor and lost for decades. Director George Mihalka never got to make the Director's Cut he always wanted to release. The next best thing was to release a novel based off the original drafts of the screenplay.
I really enjoyed the background information on the town and the characters where we get more insights and motivation. One of the major issues though is the two main male characters are complete assholes and the main female protagonist's defining character trait is that she is in a love triangle of the two asshole males and is fed up with their attitudes. The readers are not given any additional reason to care for her. While this works in a 90 minute slasher movie, the novel should have gone a little further in fleshing out the character. Thankfully the author had the film's well established story to work on because the new material is very clunky. I don't think I would recommend the book to nonfans, but it is a fun experience for fans of the films.
October 23, 2023
It's February 1981 in Valentine Bluffs and the town is finally planning another Valentine's Day dance. Everyone and everything in Valentine Bluffs used to be all about Valentine's Day, all the time - until the cave in of Hanniger Mine in 1960. The cave in trapped 20 people, with only one survivor, whose ordeal was so "grisly and so shocking that a local legend was born that would haunt the town and rob it of its reputation as a quiet, quaint coastal haven forever. The stain of the event could never be washed away."
After a six week rescue mission to dig out the mine, Harry Warden, the lone survivor of the tragedy was discovered. He had lived in the pitch blackness for 6 weeks with no food, water or light. He had no shred of sanity left and survived by eating his coworkers who had succumbed to dehydration and starvation. Harry spent the next year in a mental hospital, returning to town on Valentine's Day the next year. He wasted no time finding and killing the two supervisors of the mine that left their post that day of the cave in, to attend the Valentine's Day dance. Harry cut their hearts out and put them in candy boxes, which people found at the dance that night, with a warning inside to never hold a Valentine's dance again.
Legend says "every February 14, Harry comes back to town, his pick-axe stained with blood, waiting in the shadows of the mine, for someone to kill, should they not heed his warning."
However, after 20 years, the town's citizens, especially the teenagers working in the mine now, and their girlfriends, think it's been long enough, and respect has long been paid to Harry Warden and his deceased coworkers; they think it's about time to start celebrating Valentine's Day once again. Once two ladies from town announce they are finally, again planning a dance this year, things begin to go wrong straight away. People lose their lives in brutal ways, and their hearts are sent to the sheriff in candy boxes - just like 20 years ago. Finally it gets to be so much, the sheriff cancels the dance. He doesn't know who's responsible - after all it can't possibly be Harry - right? I mean, he's locked away. But he heeds the warnings; anything to stop his citizens getting murdered.
The group of teenage friends don't want their fun spoiled, though, and they come up with the idea of having their own secret party down in the mine. No one is able to change their mind; the party will go on. But someone is watching, and waiting in the shadows with their pick-axe... Looking for anyone disrespecting the tragedy in the mine all those years ago. This Valentine's Day will end in tragedy once again. Will anyone survive the dance?
---------------
I literally couldn't believe they were writing a novelization of this movie. I was SO excited and even more so that I actually managed to get my hands on a copy. I think it's a brilliant idea and I wish they'd do it with every horror movie.
I loved this, and I can't wait to read the next one.
After a six week rescue mission to dig out the mine, Harry Warden, the lone survivor of the tragedy was discovered. He had lived in the pitch blackness for 6 weeks with no food, water or light. He had no shred of sanity left and survived by eating his coworkers who had succumbed to dehydration and starvation. Harry spent the next year in a mental hospital, returning to town on Valentine's Day the next year. He wasted no time finding and killing the two supervisors of the mine that left their post that day of the cave in, to attend the Valentine's Day dance. Harry cut their hearts out and put them in candy boxes, which people found at the dance that night, with a warning inside to never hold a Valentine's dance again.
Legend says "every February 14, Harry comes back to town, his pick-axe stained with blood, waiting in the shadows of the mine, for someone to kill, should they not heed his warning."
However, after 20 years, the town's citizens, especially the teenagers working in the mine now, and their girlfriends, think it's been long enough, and respect has long been paid to Harry Warden and his deceased coworkers; they think it's about time to start celebrating Valentine's Day once again. Once two ladies from town announce they are finally, again planning a dance this year, things begin to go wrong straight away. People lose their lives in brutal ways, and their hearts are sent to the sheriff in candy boxes - just like 20 years ago. Finally it gets to be so much, the sheriff cancels the dance. He doesn't know who's responsible - after all it can't possibly be Harry - right? I mean, he's locked away. But he heeds the warnings; anything to stop his citizens getting murdered.
The group of teenage friends don't want their fun spoiled, though, and they come up with the idea of having their own secret party down in the mine. No one is able to change their mind; the party will go on. But someone is watching, and waiting in the shadows with their pick-axe... Looking for anyone disrespecting the tragedy in the mine all those years ago. This Valentine's Day will end in tragedy once again. Will anyone survive the dance?
---------------
I literally couldn't believe they were writing a novelization of this movie. I was SO excited and even more so that I actually managed to get my hands on a copy. I think it's a brilliant idea and I wish they'd do it with every horror movie.
I loved this, and I can't wait to read the next one.
September 21, 2023
I wanted to like this book more than I did, but the plodding and repetitive writing made it difficult to finish the book. It seems like almost everything is told to the reader three times — first the character’s frame of mind is described, then a line of dialogue, then some kind of follow-up re-describing what we just heard. Many of the scenes are interminable to get through because we’re told everything at least three times. Though these scenes are slightly less confusing than the few in which dialogue is simply described, like the one at the beginning of the chapter with Mike and Harriet’s tryst. Whole chapters are devoted to characters who are clearly about to be killed, or to one character having one emotional beat.
Not a single verb in this book is unaccompanied by an adjective to make sure there is no ambiguity or confusion anywhere. Characters are described as “whispering in fear” in case you weren’t sure “Oh my god, what do we do?” was an expression of fear. Another character is described as “strutting with bravado” in case you might have thought there was any other way to strut. Though at least these are clear uses of language — at one point someone is described as throwing an “easy to telegraph punch”, which genuinely left me confused for a few minutes. I think they meant “easily telegraphed” considering the character dodged it effortlessly.
There’s also an added subplot involving a rabid dog which is promising at the start, but instead ends with no impact on the plot, only serving to add another gruesome scene of violence in a book already stuffed with them. About twenty pages before the end, someone whose boyfriend was murdered plans to commiserate with her friend whose boyfriend was also murdered about “their lost loves and tattered clothing”, in that order.
This book is a truly bizarre, often impregnable, weirdly verbose novel that was ultimately pretty disappointing. I know most of the reviews on this site are glowing, and maybe I expected more from it than I should have, but it was ultimately pretty underwhelming.
Not a single verb in this book is unaccompanied by an adjective to make sure there is no ambiguity or confusion anywhere. Characters are described as “whispering in fear” in case you weren’t sure “Oh my god, what do we do?” was an expression of fear. Another character is described as “strutting with bravado” in case you might have thought there was any other way to strut. Though at least these are clear uses of language — at one point someone is described as throwing an “easy to telegraph punch”, which genuinely left me confused for a few minutes. I think they meant “easily telegraphed” considering the character dodged it effortlessly.
There’s also an added subplot involving a rabid dog which is promising at the start, but instead ends with no impact on the plot, only serving to add another gruesome scene of violence in a book already stuffed with them. About twenty pages before the end, someone whose boyfriend was murdered plans to commiserate with her friend whose boyfriend was also murdered about “their lost loves and tattered clothing”, in that order.
This book is a truly bizarre, often impregnable, weirdly verbose novel that was ultimately pretty disappointing. I know most of the reviews on this site are glowing, and maybe I expected more from it than I should have, but it was ultimately pretty underwhelming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2024
When I saw the announcement for the release of this novelization of the 1981 slasher film, I knew I had to get it for my sheer love of the film & novelizations. And I am happy to report, this book did not disappoint one bit! This is the COMPLETE My Bloody Valentine as the foreword state including things not in the movie plus so much characterization that we get full explanation of the discovery of Harry Warden and his savage crimes in the mind, as well as background for TJ & Axel’s relationship before TJ left town & the damage it did internally to Axel, more explanation & reasoning for the films infamous opening kill, & much more! You can tell Munoz is a fan of the film by the detail he includes but also the care he writes with detailing Valentine Bluffs & its citizens. Safe to say after reading this, I will never look at the film the same way again with all the information you get from these pages. Highly recommended for fans of the film & slashers in general!
March 25, 2024
It took me almost a year to read this, good lord. I don’t have much to say, other than that I’m disappointed, I excitedly preordered this because my love for My Bloody Valentine knows no bounds. The prose, in theory, wasn’t bad at all, it was the weird POV switching at random intervals, sometimes mid paragraph. It’s easier to have multiple POV when writing in third person, sure, but I don’t have to or want to know what every character in a scene is thinking every time. Pick one and stick with it, or start a new chapter. That’s one of the first things I learned in high school English.
I’ll be open to reading more from Mr. Muñoz in the future, but this one just wasn’t for me. And unfortunately I also preordered his novelization of Silent Night, Deadly Night. Here’s to hoping that one’s better.
I’ll be open to reading more from Mr. Muñoz in the future, but this one just wasn’t for me. And unfortunately I also preordered his novelization of Silent Night, Deadly Night. Here’s to hoping that one’s better.
January 25, 2024
I didn't love this novelization, but I didn't hate it. It's always nice to get character's inner thoughts but the author was pretty repetitive with this. It felt like he had a personal word count set. There were a lot of typos and errors that I found distracting, especially Howard being called Harold multiple times and a hyphen being used in place of an em dash. The addition of Biter, the seemingly prophetic dog anticipating a bloody feast, was cheesy and slowed the book down. But even still, I'm glad to own a copy as it's a nice addition to my horror novelization collection. If you enjoyed the movie, this is worth a read.
April 20, 2023
My Bloody Valentine is one of my favorite slasher films & getting the novelization was a must for me. The biggest thing about the novelization is that it expands upon much of the story & includes backstory for characters we didn’t learn much about in the film. For certain characters, this means I’ll never look at them the same again 😳
July 8, 2023
My Bloody Valentine will always be a cherished 1980's slasher flick by me and millions of horror hounds the world over! Adapting it into a book made some length of over forty years later seemed incredulous but author Armando Munoz displays real talent, providing just enough background information and deleted content to make this an enjoyable fresh read. Long live the legend of Harry Warden! ⛏️❤️
April 10, 2023
I love collecting movie novelizations, particularly those of '70s and '80s horror. When the book for My Bloody Valentine was released, courtesy of Armando Munoz and Fright Rags - Stop the Killer, I was thrilled! I am definitely looking forward to their next novel and future projects to come!
May 11, 2023
I really enjoy reading horror movie novelizations. Thank you Armando Munoz and Fright Rags - Stop the Killer, for a really fun read! Cent wait for next novelization!
August 20, 2023
Very true to the movie with a few added bits! If you love this movie, this is a must read! 💔⛏
August 23, 2023
By far one of the best horror film novelizations I've read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews