My Bloody Valentine 3D (R) ***

Murder mayhem gets groove back.

By Rick Bentley, McClatchy News Service

The late 1970s and early 1980s was the golden age for modern horror films.

Back when Freddy and Jason were prowling theaters, the idea was to scare moviegoing couples enough to make them wrap their arms around each other. Now they just want you to wrap your arms around a toilet.

My Bloody Valentine 3D returns to those entertainingly scary days of yesteryear. There's no way to watch this nonstop string of brutal attacks without seeing the absurdity in the whole thing. Toss in first-rate 3D and the movie not only pays a proper homage to the 1981 original but kicks it up about 1,000 notches.

Fans of '70s and '80s horror films will recognize the familiar plot. An isolated community becomes the target of a killer. He chops his way through young and old while the local law enforcement show up just in time to crack bad jokes about the victims.

The killer in Bloody Valentine is The Miner. He is a pick-swinging maniac made crazy after being the only survivor of a mining accident. It appeared The Miner was stopped after his first killing spree, but 10 years later he's back to his old ways.

The question is whether the original Miner has returned or someone new has decided to continue the tradition.

Director Patrick Lurrier doesn't miss a step. Even a sequence with one of the longest gratuitous nude scenes in horror-movie history is played with a proper balance of tension and humor.

This kind of horror flick has never been about great acting, serious storytelling or even a plot. Such movies work if the violence makes you scream and laugh at the same time.

My Bloody Valentine 3D does that in spades. Actually, it does it with a pick ax.

Cast: Kerr Smith, Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Edi Gathegi

Director: Patrick Lussier

Screenwriters: Todd Farmer, Zane Smith. Based on 1981 screenplay by John Beaird and Stephen Miller.

Producer: Jack L. Murray

A Lionsgate release. Graphic violence, nudity, language. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. Playing at area theaters.