[Movie Review] ‘Hearts Eyes” Brings A Balance of Gore, Comedy, and Romance to Holiday Slashers [MOVIE REVIEW]

This Valentine’s Day being single is equated to being a virgin in a horror flick meaning it’s a good chance you’ll be spared by a demented killer. In “Heart Eyes,” directed by Josh Ruben and written by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, & Michael Kennedy, a masked menace has been stalking and murdering couples on Valentine’s Day for the past few years. This year, a new couple is targeted and spends the night trying to survive. It came to my attention recently that slashers are my favorite sub-genre in horror, so when I say a trailer for “Heart Eyes” I knew this would be a film I would want to see in theaters. Heading to see it opening weekend, February 7, I was happy that “Heart Eyes” exceeded my expectations. *Spoilers ahead*

“Heart Eyes” opens with a couple getting engaged in a full out social media worthy constructed for likes way. This makes for a perfect opportunity for the Heart Eyes Killer, aka HEK, to strike. From this moment on there are few moments that don’t leave you on the edge of your seat. This is the type of movie that hooks you from the beginning and takes you on a wild ride until the end. Then the film goes into the main characters. Here we meet Ally (Olivia Holt), who works in advertising, and Jay (Mason Gooding), the handsome stranger, who have a meet cute at a coffee shop when they unexpectedly order the same very specific drink. The chemistry between the pair is transferred from the chemistry between the actors flawlessly. Ally’s co-worker Monica (Gigi Zumbado) pushes Ally to make a move, as she’s getting over a breakup, but it goes embarrassingly wrong in that rom com way. An element that “Heart Eyes” gets right is the balance of romance and horror which I didn’t expect it to have. I didn’t think I would get the feels from a horror movie, but “Heart Eyes” has some gushy moments that made me smile.

Olivia Holt as Ally and Mason Gooding as Jay in “Heart Eyes.” Photo: Sony Pictures

Fast forward to Ally at work getting dragged for a questionable ad she submitted for a Valentine’s Day campaign that features tragic lovers. In order for the company to save face, a consultant is brought in to try and salvage the campaign. That consultant is none other than the handsome coffee shop stranger Jay. Jay asks Ally out on a work date to workshop ideas and that happens to coincide with Valentine’s Day. An incident happens forcing Ally to pretend to be in a relationship with Jay. Unbeknownst to them, the Heart Eyes Killer mistakes them for being a real couple and Ally and Jay become the next targets for HEK while detectives Hobbs (Devon Sawa) and Shaw (Jordana Brewster) investigate.

This movie is a slasher and “Heart Eyes” doesn’t shy away from the gore. The violence is extreme, but not gratuitous and has some of gnarly deaths. The Heart Eyes Killer use of cupids arrows with hearts on the tails and the heart eyes mask made for great details for the character. There was nothing too special about the way the film was shot, and it didn’t do anything unique for the slasher sub-genre. It’s a standard tale of victims spending a night trying to evade a killer that takes the viewer to several locations where they have a run in with the killer and then barely escape, but all those sequences were exciting and didn’t seem to have any lulling moments. The comedic aspect of this film is high and unexpected. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the film especially when it leaned into the rom com aspect. There’s a particular scene in the final act featuring Olivia and Gigi’s characters that I didn’t realize what was happening until well into the joke and it was delivered so well. I can’t stop thinking about it. The only downside that comes to mind is the motive of the Heart Eyes Killer. It was very lackluster and flawed in how the killer picks victims. And I also think this is a standalone movie. In a world of sequels I think “Heart Eyes” ended just fine with no need to continue the story.

“Hearts Eyes” overall is a fun, clever, and dare I say romantic, addition to slashers that will grab your attention from the opening scene and leave you laughing and squirming in your seat throughout that I’m sure will become a cult classic for holiday horror. Be sure to stick around for a mid-credit scene.

“Heart Eyes” is now playing in theaters.

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