‘My Bloody Galentine’ is a Fun Alternative to the Valentine’s Day Slasher

With laughs and murders that focus on friendship rather than romantic love, My Bloody Galentine is a great choice when you’re tired of the candies and roses of the Valentine’s Day season.

Chris Catt

updated on 02/14/24

*My Bloody Galentine* (2024) is streaming on Tubi right now!

Table of Contents

What is a Bloody Galentine?

Miriam-Teak Lee, Ella-Rae Smith, and Cassie Clare have lunch outdoors in My Bloody Galentine (2024). — “Galentine’s Day” originated more than a decade ago in an episode of *Parks and Rec*. (pictured: Miriam-Teak Lee, Ella-Rae Smith, and Cassie Clare in *My Bloody Galentine*)

I’ll be completely honest. Before yesterday I had no idea what a “galentine” is. I could have used my deductive reasoning skills to figure it out, but that’s what Google is for, right? Well, Google led me to an article in Cosmopolitan in which Galentine’s Day is described as an “officially-unoffical” day to commemorate friendship and the platonic love shared by close friends (not necessarily limited by gender). And so, the title of the new Tubi Original slasher movie My Bloody Galentine started to make much more sense to me.

Galentine’s Day is celebrated on the officially-unofficial date of February 13th, so it is clearly meant as a reaction to the long-institutionalized holiday of Valentine’s Day. My Bloody Galentine was released on Tubi on February 13th, 2024. So, by being released the day before Valentine’s day, and by taking inspiration for its title from one of the greatest slasher movies ever made in My Bloody Valentine (1981), My Bloody Galentine is announcing itself as an alternative to the holiday slashers typically watched at this time of year. After watching it on the evening of Galentine’s Day, I can say that My Bloody Galentine is a good alternative, and it might even become a February 13th tradition for me.

What is My Bloody Galentine About?

Ella-Rae Smith as Jadyn in My Bloody Galentine (2024). — Ella-Rae Smith, who plays Jadyn, previously co-starred in the excellent slasher movie *Seance* (2021). She was also Queen Sareth in the Apple TV+ series *Foundation*.

My Bloody Galentine is a slasher-comedy with its strongest emphasis placed on the comedy. We follow Jadyn (Ella-Rae Smith), a woman who recently moved from Atlanta to London to be closer to her boyfriend Ray (Carl Spencer). Less than a month after moving to England, and just days before Valentine’s Day, Jadyn is dumped by Ray. The very next day Jadyn begins her new job where she meets Brandi (Cassie Clare) and Alex (Miriam-Teak Lee), both of who have also recently been dumped. The trio bonds over their shared pain, anger, and annoyance, and they make plans to get revenge.

Jadyn, Brandi, and Alex’s revenge isn’t subtle, but it’s also not deadly. At least, it’s not deadly until their targets begin dying at the hands of a masked killer. Is one of the trio secretly taking things way too far, or is someone else carrying through with the darker thoughts each of them have had? Once the killing starts, My Bloody Galentine plays out as a whodunit slasher with a decent mystery and lots of laughs.

Why My Bloody Galentine Works

Alex, Jadyn, and Brandi walk down the street with reveng on their minds in My Bloody Galentine (2024). — The comedy is not subtle, but it grows on you (in a good way).

I know that I’m not necessarily the target audience for My Bloody Galentine. Yes, I adore slasher movies and I’ll watch absolutely anything related to the subgenre. But I’m not really into Valentine’s Day (or anti-Valentine’s Day) comedies. I’m also not usually a fan of over-the-top, exaggerated comedy which My Bloody Galentine has in abundance. For example, when Jadyn first meets Brandi and Alex, the pair give Jadyn a sugar-coated, fake welcoming that made me feel like I was watching something inspired by Mean Girls (which is a great movie, just not my thing). But despite any misgivings I might have had, I was drawn into the story and ended up enjoying the movie quite a lot.

Most of the enjoyment in My Bloody Galentine comes from the friendship that develops between the three main characters. Brandi and Alex are a lot to handle at first, but as they get closer to Jadyn the reasons for their exaggerated personalities begin to make sense. They have character arcs that show range, and they go from eye-rolling to endearing in a satisfying way. Jadyn also goes through a metamorphosis, starting as wide-eyed and naive and becoming stronger and more decisive by the end.

The white-masked killer in My Bloody Galentine (2024). — The killer in *My Bloody Galentine* doesn’t look super original (with the white mask and black, hooded cloak they look like a riff on Ghostface). The red light inside the mask gives them a unique look in darker scenes though.

The comedy throughout the movie is quite campy. But once you immerse yourself in the story, it feels natural for this world these characters live in. The bright colors and clean polish of the film, along with the overblown comedy, creates a kind of heightened reality that helps make the horror elements more fun once they begin to pop up more frequently. The horror is taken mostly seriously, and when the killings begin fracturing the trust between the main trio of friends there is some good emotion attached to the situation. By that point in the movie, you’ll likely have become so attached to all three leading ladies that you’ll hope none of them is actually the killer.

The mystery of who is behind the killer’s mask is handled decently well. A few suspects are created, some way more believable than others. However, the joy of the movie is less about trying to scour scenes for clues, and it’s more about friendship. So even if you correctly guess who the killer is early on, the drama between friends is where the heart of My Bloody Galentine lies.

Is My Bloody Galentine Worth Your Time?

Jadyn listens at her front door in My Bloody Galentine (2024). — The horror scenes feel very different from the more comedic scenes, utilizing different angles and effective lighting to set the mood.

For fans of campy comedies and movies with slasher elements, My Bloody Galentine is absolutely worth your time. It might be a little long at over 100 minutes (not including the commercials on Tubi), but it’s fun throughout.

The slasher part of the movie does take a backseat to the comedy and mystery, so horror fans looking for blood might find it lacking. There aren’t many deaths in the movie, and the ones that are there happen very quickly. It seems like the filmmakers knew they needed to remind people that this is a slasher flick, so they included a few daydream sequences early in the movie that contain not-real murders. The daydreams work well for the characters in the context of the movie, but they can also highlight the fact that it takes a while to get the few actual slasher killings.

But overall, yes, My Bloody Galentine is a good time. It’s funny, fun, and endearing, and it’s perfect as a light alternative to the love stories found in so many other movies set around Valentine’s Day.