New Year’s Evil. April Fool’s Day. Halloween. Blood Rage. Black Christmas.

Name a holiday, and there’s a damned good chance there’s a slasher film you can celebrate it with. Given that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, genre fans are no doubt already considering which Blu-ray to pull down from their shelves to watch with their significant other or all by their lonesome after they’ve had a romantic dinner or murdered a box of chocolates by themselves. But given that we’re spoiled for slashery choices when it comes to this holiday, which film does one possibly choose?

Maybe Valentine, that underrated early aughts slasher that’s only recently been given something of a reappraisal from horror fans who likely scoffed at it back in the day? Or, you could possibly give a look to such Valentine’s Day-set horror films as 1981’s X-Ray, or the “Poetic Justice” segment in Amicus’ 1972 horror anthology Tales from the Crypt. How about My Bloody Valentine 3D, that surprisingly fantastic remake crafted by the gentlemen who would go on to give us Drive Angry (also in 3D)?

But really, when it comes to the most romantic holiday of the year, there’s only one film that fright aficionados will likely be reaching for: director George Mihalka’s 1981 Canadian-lensed slasher classic My Bloody Valentine, a beloved horror flick and video store staple which sadly suffered more devastating cuts than any of the unfortunate victims hacked down during its running time. Fortunately, Scream Factory has fans covered with its new 2-Disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of the film, which is packed with bonus features and boasts 4K scans of both the Theatrical and Unrated versions of the movie. And while Lionsgate’s previous Blu-ray was impressive enough in its own right, Scream Factory’s release should be considered the definitive home video release of the film.

For those who have never managed to catch the film, a brief recap: in the sleepy mining town of Valentine Bluffs, the local Valentine’s Day dance has been resurrected after two decades. You see, twenty years ago a miner named Harry Warden went on a murderous rampage, brutally killing two negligent supervisors after a mining accident claimed his sanity. Fortunately, he was caught and locked away in an institution, but not before warning the town to never bring back the Valentine’s Day dance that had inadvertently caused the accident which turned him into a vicious murderer.

Nevertheless, the town mayor eventually elects to bring the dance back, resulting in a number of grisly killings carried out by a shadowy miner and his trusty pickaxe. Is it Harry, having somehow escaped incarceration and found his way back to town? Or is the killer in the miner suit someone else entirely?

With its solid performances, endearing characters, and the low-key iconic villain at its core, My Bloody Valentine firmly holds up as one of the greatest slasher movies of the 80s. Rather than simply trotting out a paint-by-numbers dead teenagers scenario, MBV actually takes great pains to present its small town, blue collar cast of characters as real people with real problems before the mayhem begins in earnest. Marrying this approach to burgeoning slasher tropes and a “whodunit” vibe (did any viewer ever really believe that it was Harry behind the gas mask?) results in that rare horror film that bears a beating heart before shedding its blood. It’s one of the best films of its type, and if you’ve never seen it, you now no longer have any excuses. And if you’re a longtime fan, you’re going to want to seek out this Blu-ray to enjoy the definitive presentation of this film.

As can be expected from the company who’s given us lovingly restored, extras-laden releases of such 80s slasher classics as The Burning, Motel Hell, and Terror Train, Scream Factory has done an incredible job with My Bloody Valentine. The images on both versions of the film are stunning, with the gore inserts in the unrated option looking far, far better than what we got with the previous Lionsgate release a decade ago, revealing a movie which was crafted with much more care and visual style than just any old cut-rate 80s slasher. The 2.0 audio which accompanies those sharp, beautifully grainy images is crystal clear and suitably punchy when its needs to be.

And then…then there are the bonus features. Though this release sadly doesn’t port over the supplements from the Lionsgate disc, it nevertheless boasts a number of features which add up to an exhaustive look back at the film’s making and legacy.

On the first disc, which presents the theatrical cut of the film, we get a treasure trove of supplements in the form of lengthy interviews, a fun featurette, and selections from the film’s marketing. The interviews include such participants as director George Mihalka, actors Paul Kelman and Neil Affleck, and actresses Lori Hallier and Helene Udy discussing the film’s origins, its making, whether or not the cast knew the identity of the film’s killer throughout production, and their thoughts on the film’s legacy (including some candid opinions on the 2009 remake). “Holes in the Heart” is great little featurette which compares the various gore and makeup-heavy sequences as they appeared in the director’s cut and the heavily-truncated theatrical version of the film. The differences are pretty…eye-popping (forgive me). Rounding out the first disc is the film’s wonderfully grindhouse-y trailer (Movie Ad Voice Guy: “In this town…on Valentine’s Day…everybody loses their heart!”), three equally grim and goofy TV spots, two radio spots, and a massive stills gallery featuring a marvelous collection of promo photos, pics from the film, lobby cards, and posters from around the world.

The second disc holds the Unrated Cut of the film, which is really the only version one needs from here on out. The movie opens with a brief introduction from Mihalka, who also talks at length about the film’s making in the included feature audio commentary (it’s a treat, hearing the director delight over bits of gore that have been reinstated as they pop up onscreen). There are also two fun features recorded at Tampa’s Bay of Blood Horror Weekend in September of 2016: a 35th Anniversary reunion panel featuring Mihalka and the bulk of the film’s cast chatting for the better part of an hour on the film’s production (before eventually fielding some questions from the panel’s audience), and a fun bit with Mike actor Thomas Kovacs performing a rendition of the film’s “Ballad of Harry Warden” at the convention for a roomful of appreciative fans.

Unsurprisingly, Scream Factory has knocked it outta the park with this Collector’s Edition. All in all, this two disc set is a marvelous release of a fantastic slasher classic. Whether you’ve seen it before, or you’ve never seen it at all, consider this an essential addition to your collection.

Disc One – Theatrical Release

• Interviews

1. My Anemic Valentine with Director George Mihalka (24:09)
2. From the Heart with Actor Paul Kelman (14:15)
3. Axel, Be My Bloody Valentine with Neil Affleck (14:48)
4. Friends of Mine with Actress Lori Hallier (19:20)
5. Becoming Sylvia with Actress Helene Udy (17:17)
6. Broken Hearts and Broken Bones with Special Effects Make-Up Designer Tom Burman (10:36)
7. The Secret Keeper with Actor Rob Stein (27:25)

• Holes in the Heart (12:29)
• Theatrical Trailer (2:11)
• TV Spots (1:32)
• Radio Spots (1:01)
• Still Gallery

Disc Two – Unrated Cut

• Audio Commentary with Director George Mihalka
• My Bloody Valentine 35th Anniversary Cast Reunion (46:54)
• Thomas Kovacs Performs “The Ballad of Harry Warden” (5:03)