Harry Warden
The Miner is a fictional character and identity adopted by the main antagonists of the Valentine's Day themed horror films My Bloody Valentine and My Bloody Valentine 3D. He was created by writer Stephen Miller and portrayed by Peter Cowper in George Mihalka's original and Richard John Walters in Patrick Lussier's 3D remake.
In the lore of the films, the true identity of The Miner is often confused for Harry Warden, the sole survivor of a catastrophic mining accident at the Hanniger Mine, who is found to have murdered the rest of the miners trapped with him, either for food or oxygen. Harry awakens from a coma and goes on a rampage - subsequently becoming an urban legend of residents of the local mining town, in which he is believed to unleash a wrath upon those who partake in the forbidden Valentine's Day dance. He is depicted as an antagonist in both films, whether through the flashback scenes, or his persona influencing a central character's descent into psychopathy.
The character debuted in the early slasher boom and widely recognized for his distinctive gas mask and miner attire. Warden has gained a cult status in the horror genre fandom despite only appearing in two films.
Appearances
Films
In My Bloody Valentine, Warden was one of several miners trapped in a cave-in after his two supervisors neglected their work to attend the town's Valentine's Day dance. Warden was the only survivor and had to resort to killing and eating his coworkers to stay alive. Driven insane by these events, Harry Warden hunted down and killed both of the supervisors, cutting out their hearts and putting them in Valentine candy boxes to spite the holiday along with notes to never hold the dance again or he will return and kill more people. He was eventually caught and institutionalized. Twenty years later, the town has forgotten the murders and decides to reinstate the dance. When police chief Jake Newby receives an anonymous box of Valentine chocolates containing a human heart and a note warning that murders will begin if the dance proceeds, he checks the mental institution where Harry Warden was incarcerated, but they have no record of him. It is later revealed that the murders were done by the young miner Axel who witnessed his father being murdered by Harry Warden when he was a child and has been traumatized by the event ever since while Harry Warden died five years before the events of the film.In My Bloody Valentine 3D, on Valentine's Day 1997, Warden and several other miners are trapped in a cave-in; Warden murders the other miners with a pickaxe to conserve air. Warden is rescued, albeit in a coma; he wakes up 1 year later, he murders several hospital staff and patients, before heading back to the mines. Warden breaks into a party held at the mines and kills multiple partygoers, only to be shot by Sheriff Burke when he attempts to murder Tom, the last person still in the mine. Warden escapes from Burke and his posse by going deeper into the mines and using an escape hatch, but Burke and his posse discover him. In an act of vigilantism, they fatally shoot Warden and bury his body in the woods. Ten years later, murders begin again leading to speculation that Warden is back. Though Warden’s gear and body disappear, it is eventually revealed Tom had become the killer after suffering a psychotic break and developing a split personality based on Harry.