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A masked maniac with glowing, red eyes returns every Valentine's Day to slaughter unsuspecting couples. When a cynical ad executive and her hopelessly romantic colleague become the next target, they decide to fight back and end the reign of terror.
Director: Josh Ruben
Cast: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster
Release Date: February 7, 2025
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and some sexual content.
Runtime: 1h 37m
Review:
Heart Eyes is a fun slasher/rom com mash up that works more often than not thanks in large part to its tongue in cheek tone and strong chemistry from Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding. Josh Ruben shows off his ability to balance the horror and rom-com elements with general ease much like he did in his 2021 sleeper, Werewolves Within, which hit some similar notes. He leans into the general silliness of both genres by playing up the clichés by peppering the film with elements of each throughout. Outside of a few clunky moments here and there it mostly works in the film's favor which makes it surprisingly likable even with its occasional stumbles. There's a fun, playful spirit running through the film that should make it readily apparent that this whole endeavor is more of a lark than a straightforward slasher which may leave a few people wanting for more straight up scares to go along with the blood and guts. The rom-com elements work more organically thanks to the film's two leads who clearly understood the assignment. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding share some strong chemistry onscreen with both showing off some impressive comedic timing during the mayhem. They both fully buy into what Ruben is trying to do with the film, and both are clearly having a ball onscreen which makes them a likable pair that's easy to root for. The supporting players are equally locked with Gigi Zumbado and Michaela Watkins leaving the biggest impressions with their limited screentime. Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster's detectives are fun but underutilized even though both are more than ready to ham it up. It makes for a slightly uneven final act especially once the predictable reveal occurs. It ultimately doesn't keep Heart Eyes from being an enjoyable endeavor especially for anyone who's sat through one too many slashers or rom coms in their time.
B
