Heart Eyes – A Clever Slasher Romcom

Heart Eyes is a new Valentine’s Day themed slasher romcom from director Josh Ruben and the producers of other recent popular slashers such as Scream 5, Scream 6, and Thanksgiving. For the past few years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering couples in consistently brutal ways. At a time where no couple is safe, Dylan (Gooding) and Ally (Holt) would find each other following a meet cute moment and from there, are later targeted by the killer who ruthlessly pursues them throughout the night killing anyone who gets in the way. An absolute blast from beginning to end, it is not only great  to see another holiday themed slasher, a subgenre that is all too rare nowadays, it may arguably be the best Valentine’s Day slasher ever.

The opening scene sets the tone perfectly for what was to come and kicks the film off on a high note. Meanwhile, it features some suspenseful chase sequences that constantly up the stakes, and jumpscares that will have a large majority of audiences jumping out of their seats. Slasher fans go to a slasher for the kills and this one will not disappoint as it does not hold back whatsoever. Its kills are creative and it’s surprisingly gory with certain shockingly ultra violent sequences played off in a mostly comedic way. The Heart Eyes Killer themselves has a cool mask and have such an intimidating presence whenever they appear and lay waste to couples.

But what works so well about Heart Eyes and how it stands out amongst a crowded genre, is how it blends the romcom and slasher genres, finding a perfect balance between what are two wildly different genres. Also delivering surprising humor, it is a very funny film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and it has the kind of clever and subversive sense of humor that was definitely appreciated. On the romance side of things, the film works solely on the emotional connection it creates between audiences and its leads, while Dylan and Ally contribute by actually make smart decisions throughout, for the most part. Holt is great, sharing lovely chemistry with Gooding, who is undeniably the standout and has never been more charming or charismatic on screen. The supporting cast are a lot of fun, with Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa popping up as Detective Jeanine Shaw and Detective Zeke Hobbs.

Ironically, just like this studio’s previous two slashers, Thanksgiving and Scream VI, the only thing that holds this film back is its the third act. Not operating on the same whodunit level as the aforementioned two films, it doesn’t present audiences a litany of suspects. That being said, the eventual killer reveal is anticlimactic as their identity is incredibly obvious from the get-go, as the film fails to offer much in the way of mystery, failing to hide who they are. While the aftermath of that reveal still provide more than enough entertainment and remains enjoyable to watch, however, things do admittedly get a little too silly for its own good. Aside from that, the only other thing one would consider as a minor gripe is the occasionally moments of iffy dialogue and a few questionable character decisions, but the same argument could be made for about any slasher.

In the end, for those who are fans of slashers, especially holiday themed ones, there isn’t too much to complain about this one. While the score for this review may make some jump, at least at first, but the film is definitely one that will have a lot of rewatch value, and is one that a lot of slasher fans are sure to make into a yearly Valentine’s Day tradition. All in all, it is a great time at the movies and is another big win for horror already for 2025. Hopefully this will become the next horror franchise as there is plenty of material in this universe to mine for potential future entries.

still courtesy of Screen Gems and Spyglass Media Group

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/