Kerr Smith Sends a Bloody Valentine to Horror Fans

Rick Bentley - Fresno Bee

LOS ANGELES - Kerr Smith understands that in a few months, when his new movie 'My Bloody Valentine 3-D" hits DVD, teens and pre-teens will sneak around to watch the film without parental permission.

"I was only 9 when I saw the original film," says the 36-year-old actor during an interview at the W Hotel. "My Bloody Valentine 3-D" is a remake of the 1981 horror film about a maniac killer called The Miner who slays with a pickaxe on Valentine's Day.

"I have always been a horror fan. Besides the obvious, Jason and Freddy, some of my favorites are 'American Werewolf in London' and 'The Beast Within.'

"My parents wouldn't let me watch those movies. So I had to sneak them into the house."

Smith, best known for his role of Jack McPhee on "Dawson's Creek," plays Sheriff Axel Palmer. He's the local authority who must stop an axe-swinging killer who is leaving a bloody path through the small community.

There is only so much a 9-year-old remembers about a movie where a guy drives the sharp end of a pickaxe into various part of the human anatomy. Smith remembered the basics of the movie. Details were sketchy. He decided to leave it that way and passed on the idea of watching the 1981 original before filming the new version. That way he would not be influenced in how he brought the character to life.

The big difference is that his character is far more developed in the new version of the film. Instead of just being the befuddled local law, his sheriff is a man who is already dealing with his own emotional demons long before The Miner begins his new bloody attacks.

The script by Todd Farmer and Zane Smith throws suspicion on a wide array of the characters as to who might be The Miner. That includes Smith's character. The hope is that the audience will have no idea about the identity of the killer until moments before the final credits.

The Pennsylvania native has bounced between film and TV. He's appeared on "Charmed," "E-Ring" and "Justice." He filmed five episodes of "Eli Stone" but only one aired before the show was canceled.

This is not the first time Smith's starred in a horror film. His other credits include both "Final Destination" and "The Forsaken."

He believes the genre remains popular because people enjoy being frightened.

"They like to be scared when they are in a safe environment," Smith says. "People love to be terrified. And most people don't get to experience too much of that, to that degree. It is just a fun ride."

"My Bloody Valentine" has plenty of blood. Smith had no idea just how gory it was going to be.

"It is always the director's choice of how much blood he wants to throw at the audience," Smith says. "In this case it was quite a bit. But blood is a big part of a horror film. I don't enjoy working with it because it is sticky and it tastes like peppermint."

So, was Smith afraid during the filming? Nope. But don't get him around spiders. Big or small, the creatures scare the daylights out of him.

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