Valentines Day

The genre conventions, or iconic features, are hearts and flowers as well as warm colors like pink and red. Imagines I imagine when thinking about Valentines Day are nice dinners and roses, maybe chocolates and teddy bears. These are all cliche gifts or experiences (in case of the dinner) that are given or something that is done to show your significant other that you care for them on a day that was constructed specifically for this reason. It is typical that movies known to be chick flicks or "rom coms" fit perfectly into this idea of a "perfect valentines day". Although there are twists on the genre, "My Bloody Valentine" takes a widely celebrated holiday and makes it about murdering other people. This slasher defies that valentines day cliches and instills fear rather than feelings of warmth and love. This subverts the genre, instead of following the lead of any classic valentines day theme, with dinner or some romantic dates through central park it is about couples being terrorized by a killer. By the title and cover image for the movie it is clear that there would be no real love story, which during its release in 1981 must have been a real change for the common audience. Yet I don't think the intended audience was the loving couple. Id say it was intended for a horror lover, maybe as a date idea or just to go and disregard valentines day as a couples day by instead indulging in the exact opposite of a love filled drama.