I wanted to watch Heart Eyes for some time but was waiting for the right moment, I knew this was a movie that would not excite me but at the end felt very balance between slasher, humor and some silly romance, a horror comedy that hit theaters just in time for Valentine's Day 2025. I wasn't even aware that there is a genre for this type of movie being called a "rom com slasher," but as I mention it does work great. After a few minutes it started it was obvious what the movie was trying to do so I found myself enjoying the ride despite some obvious flaws. Directed by Josh Ruben, who for the most part was an actor but as many he jump in into the director profession and he is mostly known for Werewolves Within, this movie was written by the team of Phillip Murphy, Michael Kennedy, and Christopher Landon, so they attempt to merge the worlds of romantic comedy and slasher horror into something fresh and entertaining, but to be honest its not the slasher movie that will make you want to just stop and get out of there, this one only had a few scenes and you will still be able to watch them without feeling too awkward.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32558992/
- Platform: AppleTV+
Rottentomatoes Rating
The main character Ally; played by Olivia Holt, a marketing executive at a high end jewelry company who's still hung up on her ex boyfriend and has just created an ad campaign featuring doomed lovers right as the infamous "Heart Eyes Killer" returns for his third year of Valentine's Day murders, viewers and comments online totally destroy her for creating such anti climatic publicity where lovers ending up death are suppose to be the icon for selling jewelry, I get the idea but truly mess up. After her campaign causes public backlash, her company brings in Jay; role played by Mason Gooding, a charming and successful marketing consultant to help fix the mess. By pure coincidence the two have a meet at a coffee shop earlier in the day, here comes in the setup for the classic rom com of initial dislike that will inevitably turn to attraction, Ally did like Jay but she was still sour by her last boyfriend. So its when they bump into Ally's ex during a Valentine's Day dinner meeting, she impulsively kisses Jay to make her ex jealous and this puts them directly in the sights of the Heart Eyes Killer, who mistakes them for a genuine couple.
There is no doubt that Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding did a great job at carrying the movie on their shoulders, with an excellent chemistry between them. Holt I remember from Cloak & Dagger" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="3770">Cloak & Dagger but also showed her horror skills in Totally Killer, brings a perfect mix of vulnerability, humor and eventual badass to the character of Ally. She's cynical about love after her breakup but still has that spark that makes you want her to end up next to Jay. Gooding on the other had was a bit flat for me, at times look like Ally was the man of the relationship but he still did well at been the passive romantic guy, all swag, playing Jay with a charismatic confidence. Together they create a well balance couple that feels genuine, making their gradual shift from forced into colleagues to potential lovers believable even within the chaos of having a killer breathing on their neck. The supporting cast is more hit and miss, with some characters making strong impressions despite limited screen time it is the case of Jordana Brewster as detective Shaw, slowly but surely became the third leg of the movie until the end she became more than that and still with her little time on screen cause a good impression, have to admit besides Ally she was my second favorite character on the movie. The killer, Heart Eyes has a visually striking design with a deteriorated yellow mask, almost like a Mexican wrestling mask with glowing red heart eyes, not only glowing but fkn night vision, making for a very modern slasher villain even if the person behind the mask was not who you might expect, at first I also thought it was Jay.
The final confrontation does feature some impressive gore effects and a satisfying moment where Ally and Jay finally work together to defeat the killers, but it can't fully redeem the disappointing previous reveal. The film ends with Ally and Jay finally admitting their feelings for each other, completing the rom com cycle of their relationship. There is also a mid credits scene that keeps the door open for a potential sequel and probably make it a franchise, even though I consider that would be very silly and turn into something like "Scary Movie. The movie does a good job in my opinion on blending all this genres and to be honest if I was to watch this movie at the theaters on Valentines day, I bet my wife or your couple would laugh a few times, making the movie a good watch for a movie night.
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