There’s a lot for people to watch this Valentine’s, whether it be a romantic film such as Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, an action like Love Hurts or another horror such as Companion. Now we’ve been delivered a horror that’s set around another holiday, in the form of Heart Eyes, which is set during the sweet time of Valentine’s Day. After you watch this film, you’re going to wish that you didn’t take a date with you to the cinema. The only slasher as of late to really catch the audience’s attention has been Scream, but Heart Eyes seems to learn a few tricks from one of the most successful slasher franchises to make a film that’s just as entertaining.
Heart Eyes tells the story of Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding), who, after a “work dinner” that doesn’t go the way that either of them would like to, are chased by the Heart Eyes Killer, who finds his way to Seattle. The two find themselves the next target for the killer when they accidentally get into a situation that makes them look like a couple. Now, they have to survive the entire night as they try not to get killed and also fall for each other.
After Spyglass succeeded with their last holiday-themed horror slasher film, Thanksgiving. It seems like they wanted to give it another try but this time have it focus on a holiday that’s all about love. Heart Eyes feels more like an experimental film, as it combines the two genres of romcom and horror. With writers such as Christopher Landon, Michael Kennedy and Phillip Murphy, they handle the tonal shift between the two genres pleasantly well and also manage to subvert expectations during certain moments in the film. Just like with Scream, the film opens up on its first victims. We get a glimpse at the humour that’s to be expected as we follow the over-exaggerated engagement of a couple. As annoying and privileged this couple seems to be, you start to be thankful that they’re the Heart Eye’s first victim of the movie.
Heart Eyes is gruesome from its opening shot to its final third act, where all things are revealed in perfect Scream fashion. The film sticks to its slasher tropes, but it doesn’t forget that it’s also a romcom. Olivia Holt who is famously known for starring as Tandy Brown/Dagger in Freeform’s Cloak and Dagger show returns for another horror film after appearing in Totally Killer. She doesn’t only show why she’s a scream queen in the making but also the perfect woman for a romance film. It wouldn’t be possible without the help of Mason Gooding. Together, their chemistry is unreal and surpasses the likes of films that are just solely romcoms, such as the recently released You’re Cordially Invited.
Ally is dealing with a breakup as she stalks her ex’s socials, looking at the new girlfriend he has, while Jay is an extremely flirtatious man. Ally is on the brink of losing her job, and although all she can think about is the relationship she used to have and the possibility of having a crush on Jay, whom she just met, she’s still focused on her job and wants to do everything to keep it. At their core, Ally and Jay are a stereotypically written couple to the book.
Heart Eyes plays around on whether they’ll fall for each other or not, and it mixes that in perfectly as they get chased by this crossbow- and knife-wielding maniac. They both bounce well off each other, and the audience is made to have an honestly hilarious and fun time with these two characters. During this one night, you get to see their highs and their lows as a pairing, and you soon begin to realise how inseparable these two characters are.
The third act will throw the audience for a loop, but for fans of Scream, it’ll feel like Deja Vu with how the film begins to wrap everything up. It does well in leaning into its romance tropes and tricks you into thinking that the film is leading one way. This may annoy some viewers, as it does begin to seem like the film may be wrapping up, but instead, there’s still twenty minutes left, and everyone will be glad that there is. For a film coming straight from the minds of Christopher Landon and the producers at Spyglass, it’ll begin to make complete sense why the film goes in this intended direction.
Whether Spyglass has the intention or not for this to become a franchise, Heart Eyes is already an iconic killer that will have a lasting effect on its viewers. Josh Reuben does a fantastic job of ensuring we can feel Heart Eye’s presence. With every step he takes, the sound of the lights on his mask or even just his eerie breathing when he talks on the phone. The film does a masterful job of ensuring that Heart Eyes is a threat, and they do a great job of throwing the viewers off the scent of who the killer could possibly be.
While Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding give an electric performance, Heart Eyes wouldn’t be the film it is without its supporting cast. Gigi Zumbado plays the best friend that everyone needs in their life. Their conversations will always end with you laughing and she’s essential to Ally’s character arc in the film as she sets her on this journey with Jay. To round off this cast are Detective Hobbs (Devon Sawa) and Shaw (Jordana Brewster), two characters laughably named after the Fast and Furious characters who share just as good of a chemistry as them. Brewster steals the spotlight in this duo, as she is outrageously horny, looking for the love of her life in any man she comes across, including the likes of Jay.
Heart Eyes is the perfect film to take your loved one to on Valentine’s Day. It’s entertaining, and while the first half of the film may seem like it’s strictly a romantic comedy, it kicks into full drive during the second act, switching up the tone but also keeping that balance. With performances that will make you believe in love at first sight to spine-chilling and gruesome scenery, Heart Eyes is everything you want from a film that blends together the two genre’s. Heart Eyes is easily one of the better slashers to release in the last few years, and with them now creating their own subgenre, it’s likely we may see more like it in the near future.
Heart Eyes is out now in theatres.
