(Please note: many cinemas are not showing this film in the 3D version. Please check with venue to avoid disappointment.)
This is why 3D was invented: an eye-popping re-make of the 1981 ‘slasher’ movie that blends old-school ‘body count’ horror with bleeding-edge 3D effects. Patrick Lussier’s re-working of the censor-savaged Canadian original soon gets down to business, bumping off a string of well-drawn characters in imaginatively gory ways.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, a Pennsylvania town fears the closure of its mine, where ten years before an accident prompted a rampage by the sole survivor, Harry Warden. Now the killer is back, impaling victims on his pickaxe. But is this Harry a ghost or a copycat? Lussier keeps us guessing with a plot that is more psychological than supernatural. There is some repetition and over-plotting, but a central love triangle is thankfully more than a framework for the throwback ‘stalk and slash’ set-pieces.