Real Name: The Cherub – Jeremy Melton (alias “Adam Carr”)
First Appearance: Valentine (2001)
Most Iconic Form: Pale cherub mask with black robes, slick black hair, and a kitchen knife
Kill Count: 6 confirmed onscreen, several attempted
Portrayed by: David Boreanaz (unmasked), various stunt doubles in costume
Valentine (2001)
Directed by Jamie Blanks, Valentine is a stylish slasher wrapped in early-2000s aesthetics — think glossy lighting, pop soundtracks, and brutal revenge.
The film opens in 1988: awkward teenager Jeremy Melton is cruelly rejected and humiliated by a group of popular girls at a junior high Valentine’s dance. He’s framed for assault, beaten, and expelled — vanishing without a trace.
Years later, the women involved start dying, one by one.
The killer wears a white cherub mask, black coat, and gloves. The mask, inspired by Valentine’s Day cupids, becomes eerily blank during each kill — silent, emotionless, and fixed in an eternal pout.
Kills include:
- A wine bottle to the face in a body bag
- Death by hot iron
- Glass shard impalement through a hot tub
- Repeated stabbings during a Valentine’s party
The identity of the killer is cleverly hidden. Red herrings abound, but in the final moments, it’s revealed that the killer was Adam Carr, boyfriend of one of the main characters — and secretly Jeremy Melton, surgically altered and hell-bent on revenge.
The film ends with him cradling his girlfriend, nose bleeding — a signature sign of Jeremy’s past. The killer wins.
Physiology & Traits
- Human, but well-trained in stealth, endurance, and strategic violence
- Uses basic but effective weapons: knives, irons, shards of glass
- Skilled in blending into crowds and planning multi-step traps
- Never speaks in costume — silence and mask maintain illusion
- Operates with cold focus: he kills for revenge, not pleasure
- Has a signature nosebleed under stress
- Motivated by rejection, trauma, and humiliation — a classic “bullied becomes the butcher” archetype
- Designs each kill as part of a thematic pattern tied to Valentine’s Day
Cultural Impact
- Became a cult slasher icon for fans of early-2000s horror
- The Cherub mask is widely recognized in slasher rankings and cosplay communities
- Frequently cited in discussions about:
- Underrated slashers
- Post-Scream horror
- Queer-coded or “revenge horror” tropes
- Compared to:
- Ghostface (Scream)
- The Cupid Killer (Valentine’s Day horror shorts)
- Ben Willis (I Know What You Did Last Summer)
- Valentine was critically panned on release but later gained respect for its style, mystery, and social commentary on bullying and image obsession
League Placement
The Cherub belongs in the Second Class Tier — not supernatural, but efficient, eerie, and driven by deep psychological scars. Jeremy Melton didn’t just become a killer — he became an idea, a faceless avenger in love with both vengeance and theatrics.