Harry Warden (A.K.A. The Miner) is the secondary antagonist in the 1981 Canadian Slasher film My Bloody Valentine and the 2009 Remake.
Biography[]
My Bloody Valentine[]
Axel Palmer disguised as The Miner
Harry Warden was a miner for the Hanniger Mines. On the night of Valentine's Day, two of the Hanniger Mines' supervisors were so eager to get to the Valentine's day dance, that they forgot to check the methane gas levels. As a result, Harry and five other miners were trapped inside the Hanniger Mines due to an explosion caused by methane gas. Harry went insane after being forced to eat the other miners to survive. One year after being rescued, he murdered the two supervisors with a pickaxe, placing their hearts in boxes of Valentine's chocolates, along with a warning to never hold another Valentine's day dance. He was committed to Eastfield, where he died 15 years later.
My Bloody Valentine 3D[]
In 1997, Harry Warden and five fellow mineworkers are trapped in a cave-in inside a mine of the Hanninger family on Valentine's Day. After six weeks, rescue workers find the mine workers but what they see is horrifying. In a selfish act of self-preservation, Harry Warden killed the others so they would stop using oxygen. Harry himself is comatose and brought to a hospital.
A year later, his condition hasn't changed much but on Valentine's Day, he regains consciousness and goes on a killing spree through the hospital. He removes the heart of one nurse and puts it in a Valentine's box. After the hospital massacre, he returns to the location of his first murders. At the mine, a party is happening and Warden wastes no time and kills a boy by impaling his head with a pick-axe, with the pike of the pick-axe leaving through the eye socket. A girl named Sarah witnesses this gruesome act and flees, only to find more death in her path. As he leaves the mine, he throws a second pick-axe through the windshield of a car, the car of Sarah and a friend of Sarah, Axel. In blind panic, Axel flees with Sarah but leaves Tom Hanninger behind. Warden sees this as a chance to kill the boy responsible for what happened to him the year before, as it was Tom who failed to prevent the cave-in. Tom was supposed to vent methane gas but forgot, with the terrible accident as a result. But before Warden can kill Tom, he is shot by police sheriff James Burke and his partner, Ben Foley. He flees into the mine but dies soon after. He was buried by the two police officers. The encounter with Harry Warden traumatizes Tom who leaves the village soon after.
Harry making use of his pick-axe
10 years had passed before Tom returns after his father died. But he isn't only one who's back. With Tom's return, the kills start over. The first victim is a trucker who he impales through the skull with a pick-axe, before he chases a naked women named Irene who witnessed him killing the trucker. She tries to hide from him, under the bed and for a moment, she appears to be successful. But unlucky for her, the motel owner, a small women named Selene enters the room to find Warden. He quickly kills Selene by impaling her on the lights above her. Irene accidentally gives herself away as she shrieks in horror. He realizes where she is now and pins her to wall with the bed before painting the wall with her blood. It is later revealed that he cut her heart out afterwards. The blame for the kills ends up with Tom, who was residing at the same motel that night.
Warden sends the heart to the police in a candybox like he had done in the past before revisiting the mine. He finds Tom who he traps in a cage and goes after William 'Red' Kirkpatrick who is called with a man named Ben. Warden swings his pick-axe and pierces the lower arm of Kirkpatrick before killing him. As the rest of the crew arrives they find the deceased Kirkpatrick and young Tom who is immediately suspected despite the fact he's trapped in the cage. When Burke reveals the truth about Warden, he brings Tom, Sarah and Axel to the burial spot only to find the grave empty. It appears like he has indeed returned. Later that day, Foley hears a noise in his house. His investigation was inconclusive and he returns to his house, only to fall victim to Warden who impales the head of his former killer. Warden brought the corpse to the initial burial spot and cut open his chest. This inspires great paranoia in the village.
Warden invades a supermarket and targets the two cashiers, Megan and Sarah. The killer forces them to take refuge in the office room, trapping them. Warden uses his pick-axe to break open the door and Megan tries to escape through a window. The window is small however making it an uneasy escape. Concentrating on the escape proves to be a grave mistake, as in the moment they stopped paying attention to the killer, he disappears. As Sarah realizes their mistake it is already too late, and Warden grabs Megan from the other side. The mutilated body of Megan is found later in the alley by Axel and Sarah. Above the corpse they find the message: Be Mine 4 Ever, written in blood on the wall. It is revealed that Warden is taking out people who have connection with the Hanninger Mine, direct or indirect. His next target is the son of Axel and Sarah, Noah. He breaks into the house and makes short work of the babysitter, Rosa: killing her with a pick-axe and dumping her body in the washing machine. But before he can go after the child, Burke and deputy Ferris go check the house. Ferris quickly learns that Warden has killed Rosa as she found the body in the washing machine and tries to warn Burke but fails. Warden impales his jaw and tears it off before ending his life.
Meanwhile the discussion continues about the identity of Warden. They don't believe that the real Warden is the actual killer as he died all those years ago. Tom believes it is Axel and is strengthened in this belief when Axel accuses Tom of being the killer, as Tom has been held in an asylum for 7 years to help him overcome his PTSD. For a moment, Sarah really believes Tom is the killer and asks him to drop her off at her home. As he refuses to stop at her house, she sees this a conformation and forces him to crash, knocking him out. After fleeing to the house of Axel's father, she finds hundred of candy boxes, indicating that Axel could be the killer. She flees into the mine after stealing Axel's gun. Axel finds her and tries to convince her that Tom is the real killer. Tom appears and blames Axel for the murders. Unsure who to believe, she points her gun at both.
The true killer[]
Tom accidentally reveals himself to be the killer after mentioning the message found with Megan's corpse. He believes it to be proof that Axel is the killer but he wasn't ever told about the message nor had he seen the body unlike the killer himself. Tom gets stressed and suddenly, he sees Warden appear. He tries to warn Alex and Sarah but they don't see anything. Even when he is almost nose to nose with Tom, the others are unable to see him. After Sarah comments "Harry's not here, Tom." Axel realizes what is really going on and replies: 'Oh, he's here, aren't you Harry? You livin' inside Tom?'
It is revealed that after being attacked by Harry Warden, Tom couldn't cope with the traumatizing experience. He created a second personality (Multiple Personality Disorder), based on Harry Warden. When he returned to the village, this second personality gained dominance and behaved like he was really Harry Warden. As soon as he returned to the village, he dug up the corpse of the real Harry Warden and stole his gear. After a brief confrontation with Axel and Sarah, Tom manages to gain control again for a few moments, long enough to convince Sarah to shoot him. She does as he turns back into Warden and shoots him through the side and also hits a gas tank, blowing up the tunnel.
Tom is found unconscious by an oblivious rescue worker. The man tells Tom he will be fine before the latter kills him. Dressed as a rescue worker Tom Hanninger escapes the mine but Tom Hanninger's persona no longer exist. Only Harry Warden is left.
Powers and abilities[]
Harry Warden in all incarnations was a very strong man, capable of lifting people in the air with a pickaxe. He was able to hold his own against several attackers and could inspire great fear. But unlike most other slasher killers, he was just human, capable of being killed by normal means and didn't return from the grave. Nevertheless, his legend grew as his acts broke the spirit of a man (Axel Palmer in the original story and Tom Hanninger in the remake), which led them to take up his mantle.