• Marley Shelton plays a young woman trying to decide whether to stay with her alcoholic boyfriend (David Boreanaz) in "Valentine." Publicity Photo
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Marley Shelton plays a young woman trying to decide whether to stay with her alcoholic boyfriend (David Boreanaz) in "Valentine." Publicity Photo

ALERT VIEWER VALENTINE: Slasher. Starring Denise Richards, Jessica Capshaw, Marley Shelton and Jessica Cauffiel. Directed by Jamie Blanks. (R. 95 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.)

Thrillers have always gone in for surprise endings, but these days we're seeing endings that border on the ridiculous. Completely unlikely suspects are turning up as murderers in plot twists that unravel before we get to the parking lot.

Soon, I suspect, we'll see the ultimate in this trend: An actor will look into the camera and say, "You did it. You, in the audience. Don't remember? Aha, you've repressed the memory!" In the meantime, we'll have to make do with "Valentine," which is only faintly less ridiculous.

The picture, which opened yesterday, is a 1980s-style slasher with a holiday theme. Motive is established before the credits run. A sensitive 11- year-old boy asks a succession of 11-year-old girls to dance with him. Two of them insult him. A third puts him off, gently. And a fourth actually kisses him, then claims he attacked her.

Whereupon the boy is stripped, beaten and given the "Carrie" treatment -- blood (or some other red liquid) gets dumped on his head. In short, he's not a hit at the party.

This makes him angry, so angry that 13 years later he starts killing people.

Specifically, he makes it a point to murder, one by one, the women who wouldn't dance with him back when.

As setups for a thriller go, it's an oldie -- almost 70 years ago, Myrna Loy wiped out a bunch of snooty sorority sisters in "Thirteen Women." But it's also a goodie. At least in this thriller we know why the unseen killer is on a rampage. And the women know, too, which adds to the tension.

"Valentine" is not a whodunit but a whokeepsdoingit. We know who the boy was, 13 years before. But we don't know the man he has become, so every guy in the film is suspect. When the killer is in pursuit, he hides behind a Cupid mask and strolls along with a butcher knife. Like all slasher villains, he walks and yet, in true nightmare fashion, always catches up to people who are running.

"Valentine" isn't scary, but it is unsettling; not ultimately satisfying, but arresting in the moment. Part of the credit has to go to the ensemble. The actresses are vivid, and the characters they play are clearly delineated.

Denise Richards is the brazen, outspoken Paige. Jessica Cauffiel conveys wit and energy in her brief role as Lily (poor Lily). And Marley Shelton has a nice gravity as Kate, a gentle soul trying to decide whether to stay with her alcoholic boyfriend (David Boreanaz).

The one weak link is Jessica Capshaw (daughter of Kate Capshaw and stepdaughter of you-know-who), who does a lot of acting with her teeth. She talks through her teeth for much of the picture. It could have been nerves.

Director Jamie Blanks and the screenwriters find a series of imaginative locations in which to stage the murders. The smartest touch is that the last third of the movie takes place in a mansion, with an unlimited number of rooms,

all with baroque decor and laid out in a mazelike configuration. A party prevents participants from hearing the screaming.

The violence is strong, not grotesque, but after a while it does get dispiriting seeing people getting murdered. At least it's dispiriting for audience members who have reached the age where they start pulling for the victims, not the spectacle of slaughter.

Advisory: This film contains strong language and graphic violence.