Valentine

A sluggish, labored slasher flick based on a much more complex suspense novel, Valentine proves once again (if more proof were needed) that younger audiences will watch anything with a masked killer, a bloody kitchen knife and a random holiday in the title. The not-so-novel gimmick here is that the psycho was once a geeky kid snubbed in junior high by his cast-for-their-cleavage victims (Denise Richards, Jessica Cauffiel, Jessica Capshaw and the adorable Marley Shelton). Director Jamie Blanks (Urban Legends), checking any attempt at originality at the door, has produced another cookie-cutter horror flick, and like many of the rest, this one's not a necessary purchase. (R. Blackwelder)