Thursday, March 26, 2009

Theme Thursday - MINERAL

MINERAL

This week's Theme Thursday theme - Mineral - proved a bit of a challenge. I mean, it's MINERAL for cripe's sake!

So, again I went with what I know and came up with:

MY BLOODY VALENTINE

MBV


Why, you ask? Well, because it's about MINERS. See, miners mine minerals. (bite me)

Anyway, MY BLOODY VALENTINE is a Canadian horror/slasher film released in 1981. To quote (non-miner) Inigo Montoya: "Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up."

See, long ago some miners were trapped in an explosion when their bosses left early for the big Valentine's shindig. Harry Warden was the only survivor, but he did so by eating the other dead miners. He is eventually rescued, goes bonkers and is sent away. But a year later, he returns and wreaks horrible vengeance. He warns the town to knock off any further plans to celebrate.

Flash forward twenty years and the younger set in town says "Phooey!" and decide to have their own party. Yup, you guessed it: Mayhem and Murder ensues! Is Harry Warden, the Miner, back? Hmmm? Well, rent or buy the movie and see for yourself.

This movie is a great, creepy, 80s slasher classic. The miner always gave me the chills, and it helped that mineshafts in general are claustrophobic, dark and eerie. Who knows what lurks ahead?

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Of course, the film was remade this year as MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D. To quote (also-non-miner) Danny Noriega: "Some people weren't liking it!"

MBV3D

I did like it. Is it a great, Academy Award-winning example of the perfect horror film? Heck no. But then again, so very few are. What this movie IS is a fun, throw-back, slasher film that knows what the fans want to see. And it really delivers.

And the 3D, in my opinion (who else's opinion would it be, really?), is so great. It adds a feeling of almost "being there" to what you are watching. The opening hospital scene itself felt almost too real.

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Here is some more mine-movie-goodness for ya:

TRAPPED ALIVE came out in 1993. I never saw this, but from what I read, two women and some escaped prisoners end up in a mine shaft where a cannibalistic man-thing is out to get 'em. Sounds... like MST3K would love it.

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There is also a movie called CURSE OF THE FORTY-NINER, (aka MINER'S MASSACRE), from 2003. (Bet ya didn't think this would be a more than one shot sub-genre, did ya?) I didn't care for this movie. Like a drill at a mine, this was boring.

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In non-horror films, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM saw our intrepid hero and cohorts having an adventure in a mine, even riding the coal cars as if they were in Six Flags.

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And mining was the profession of choice for the little men in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. Although this one can probably be called a horror flick, as the Evil Queen is trying to kill Snow White with poison hidden in an apple. Bitch.

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And, in the new FRIDAY THE 13TH, Jason has a sort-of lair in some abandoned mine shafts under the Crystal Lake campgrounds. Plausible? I don't know. But I thought it could be a good explanation as to how Jason was able to appear anywhere around the camp in the older movies: He had secret tunnels. I wonder if the writers had this in mind? Maybe?

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Like Indy in the coal cars, I went off track. Ah well...

Anyone remember any other miner/mine shaft horror flicks?

23 comments:

  1. I can't do horror/slasher films...still have nightmares about Birds for pity's sake!

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  2. Very interesting - I definitely didn't realize there was more than one film "about" miners...the remake of My Bloody Valentine made my scream like a sissy...as you know since I was pretty much in your seat with you! :)

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  3. In "My Bloody Valentine," it's the bosses fault. It's always the bosses fault. They always f***in' leave early for one stupid reason or another. The big "Valentine's shindig? Yeah, right! They were just leavin' the little people to pay the price. Always~

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  4. You forgot "Outworld" with the mining in outer space! And Sean Connery....and vacuum exploding miners...and...and...

    Scooby Doo reference-The Miner 49'er( okay, neither are the slasher type, not even close, I know but what the hey! ) :)

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  5. Breaking Away had the quarry thing going, the Bloomington kids were called Cutters, i believe.

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  6. I really have a difficult time with your blog. I'm curious to see what are your post but i'm equally afraid ! I scroll down with my finger near the alt f4 !!! See, I saw E.T. and have nightmares ever since ! Well... See you next week !!! :o)

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  7. I know it has nothing to do with mines but it has caves:"The Descent",a great movie.Otherwise,no I don't see..:(

    I like the new colours of your blog.

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  8. what an intersting set of mvies. had the opportunity to visit a mine in KY. definitely a good locale for a harror film.

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  9. I love your blog and gotta try to visit more often (well except for Thursdays!)!

    Great TT. Original TT award from me. It made me laugh...and learn!

    take care
    xoxo

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  10. this week's topic was hard - you found a great collection of movies to write about

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  11. Colette: I love "The Birds"!

    Ravyn: Well, I enjoyed both the movie and your reactions! ;)

    Ronda: Ya got that right!

    Darius: I will attempt that tomorrow.

    subtorp77: Forgot about "Outworld" Doh! And I thought of including Scooby, but then I got tired...

    runmotman: Didn't think of that film, good call!

    Mariane: I will take that as a compliment! :)

    Candie: Thought of "The Descent", too, but you are right, it's caves not mine shafts. GREAT movie though! And thanks, I like the black better, too.

    Brian: Never been in one myself, but I can imagine I would get the heebee-jeebees.

    Marianna: Well, thank you! :)

    Jamie: Thanks, there is a probably a horror film that would fin any topic! hahaha

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  12. I don't do horror movies. But I did see Indiana Jones.

    I did tour a Cooper mine in Arizona once. It was interesting, but I can't see how anyone could work in those conditions.

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  13. I might rent the original but it might be "too skeery" for me (as my nephew sez).

    I've been in a couple of mines - brrrrr creepy and you're not kidding about the claustrophobia!

    Including Snow White made me giggle - good one! And I thought I was following you, but now I see that there are posts here that I have not seen yet, so I'm off to remedy that. After I read your take on Piper's Eye Patch Challenge!

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  14. I definitely agree with you about the new My Bloody Valentine. It was definitely modernized but they managed to keep the old elements of the original and of 80's slasher movies in general in such an interesting way! Should have just seemed cliche, but to me it was strangely refreshing, like it hadn't been done to a modern horror movie before or something.

    And also, I didn't even think about the fact that Jason's mining lair might have been a good explanation for how he could get around everywhere so easily. That makes so much sense! And makes me like his whole tunnels of doom thing so much more.

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  15. I definitely agree with you about the new My Bloody Valentine. It was definitely modernized but they managed to keep the old elements of the original and of 80's slasher movies in general in such an interesting way! Should have just seemed cliche, but to me it was strangely refreshing, like it hadn't been done to a modern horror movie before or something.

    And also, I didn't even think about the fact that Jason's mining lair might have been a good explanation for how he could get around everywhere so easily. That makes so much sense! And makes me like his whole tunnels of doom thing so much more.

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  16. Dakota: Thanks for stopping by anyway!

    Megan: Rent it, you will be skeered! Thanks for checking out the older posts.

    Margarita: Glad we agree on MBV3D and I wish more people had thought of Jason's tunnels this way. :)

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  17. I cannot watch horror movies cause then I get too scared to be home alone. But I never really thought about horror movies having mines or tunnels. Great summary too. The old Vincent Price movies are scarey, wonder if any of them had a mine. Does the Bat Cave in Batman count, some of those characters are scarey. The newer Batman movies seem like horror flicks to me. I don't watch them either.

    Was an interesting post. Thank you for the list of movies that I need to keep away from. And now I cannot even watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, that evil bitch, she scares me. Sigh.

    Was just thinking, how can I be a Sci Fi fanatic and be scared of horror flicks. Weird I know.

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  18. And here I was thinking that it was a band!

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  19. I agree with MrsU.,
    Whenever I watch a horror film, I can not stay by myself. Those films scare me waaaaay too much.
    What a sissy I am.
    How can YOU sleep nights?

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  20. Mrsupole: I guess the difference is SciFi doesn't try to scare your pants off! :)

    Kris: And you know, I had never heard of the band before! hahaha

    Auntie, aka Cagny: I guess maybe I am scarier? Heh...

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  21. MINER'S MASSACRE is the only one i can think of...

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