I owe my discovery of the 2001 horror slasher Valentine to my local Blockbuster. It was a film I might never have stumbled upon, but my horror instincts told me it needed to be unearthed. The day I realized I wasn't alone in my appreciation for Valentine was a joyous one. Numerous Reddit threads have celebrated this fun, silly, yet thrilling horror whodunnit, often highlighting its exceptionally star-studded early 2000s cast, featuring big names like David Boreanaz, Denise Richards, and Katherine Heigl.
A Star-Studded Cast and a Chilling Plot
While fans frequently point out the glittering cast on subreddits, there is much more to this slasher than many give it credit for. Directed by Jamie Blanks, Valentine follows a group of young friends who have known each other since childhood. Their biggest challenge arises when a Cupid-masked serial killer begins targeting them with threatening Valentine's Day gifts, hence the film's title.
The story's roots trace back to their high school days, when a young boy named Jeremy is falsely accused of sexually assaulting Dorothy, played by Jessica Capshaw. Along with her friends, Dorothy cruelly rejects him. Years later, as the friendship group starts getting killed off, they must confront whether their childhood actions are to blame or if someone from their later life has developed a vendetta.
Classic Slasher Elements and a Spine-Tingling Twist
As far as typical serial killer slashers go, Valentine checks all the boxes. It delivers heart-stopping chase scenes, creative kills, a very creepy killer dressed in a black coat with a cherub-cheeked Cupid mask, a set of attractive youngsters, a side story romance, and a spine-tingling twist.
For me, Valentine will always have one of the creepiest twists. A fake-out reveal at the end exposes Dorothy, who accused Jeremy of the sexual assault, as the killer. However, moments before the credits roll, Adam, portrayed by David Boreanaz, gets a nosebleed, a trait of the killer, revealing him as the real Cupid before the screen cuts to black. Adam was actually the real Jeremy Melton, who sought out the group to enact revenge, serving as the perfect payoff for the viewer.
Flawed Characters and Moral Ambiguity
However, my issue lies in the character development of the friendship group. The majority of them are insufferable. While Adam, aka Jeremy, isn't exactly a stand-up guy, being a serial killer and all, it's challenging to root for the friends completely when they fabricated such a horrendous lie and essentially ruined his childhood.
The cast delivered brilliant performances, but the characters weren't the most likeable. Dorothy was a bad friend with deep unhealed trauma, whose false sexual assault accusation led to Jeremy being sectioned in a mental health unit. It just doesn't sit right that, after all of that, I can somewhat understand why Adam or Jeremy lost his mind and felt compelled to seek revenge. You ruin my life, I'll ruin yours—fair enough!
The only redeeming friend was Kate, played by Marley Shelton, who was polite in her rejection of Jeremy all those years ago, and thus he spared her. He did also become her boyfriend under false pretenses as Adam. You don't always have to root for all the victims in a horror film, but it's a slight disappointment that, aside from Kate, they all kind of got what they deserved.
Aging Well and Critical Injustice
Fortunately, this doesn't detract from the fact that Valentine is a perfectly thrilling slasher that has aged pretty well, especially considering some of the turkeys churned out over the years. The 11% rating it has on Rotten Tomatoes is frankly a real injustice. Valentine remains a hidden gem in the horror genre, offering suspense, star power, and a memorable twist.
Valentine is available to buy and rent on platforms like Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and Apple TV+. This article was originally published in February 2025, highlighting the enduring appeal of this underrated film.
