Conventional thinking says that rom-coms are the perfect type of date night film, but let’s be honest: horror is way better. Especially if you’re a couple whose mind tends toward the macabre, there’s little better than finding something ghoulish you both can enjoy. Movies that combine both genres are few and far between. Good ones are even rarer. Heart Eyes, the latest from Scare Me and Werewolves Within director Josh Ruben, is a solid mix of both and should be just what Cupid ordered if you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day evening at the movies.
If you’ve seen Ruben’s prior films, or those of co-writer Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky), then you know to expect a comedic riff on genre tropes while leaning into what makes horror movies fun. The film stars Olivia Holt as career gal Ally, who is still reeling after a bad break-up with her boyfriend. She just can’t stop stalking his Insta and seeing him with his new girlfriend! She has a horribly embarrassing meet-cute at the coffee shop with the handsome Jay, played by Scream actor Mason Gooding. After humiliating herself, she comes to find out that Jay is her new co-worker, and they have to work together on a successful ad campaign or face the wrath of their boss, played by Michaela Watkins in her best Miranda Priestly impression.
Jay, who is a hotshot freelancer, books the most romantic spot in all of Seattle for an apparent work dinner…on Valentine’s Day. There’s just one big problem: the Heart Eyes Killer, a masked serial killer who targets couples on the holiday every single year. He (or she) moves from city to city and has landed in Seattle. We know because of a grisly double murder at a winery, with one lady getting squeezed like juice from a grape. An innocent mistake causes the HEK to mistake Jay and Ally as a couple, leading to them becoming the new target for murder.
Ruben isn’t a director known for displays of gore, but Heart Eyes has some a few vicious kills in it. Even so, the tone is kept pretty light throughout. The focus is clearly more on Jay and Ally building a rapport than the mystery of who is under the HEK mask, and that becomes obvious by the lousy reveal later on. The most enjoyable part is watching the non-couple trade quips as they run for their lives, including a really funny bit where Ally leaves Jay at the killer’s mercy causing him to cry semi-seriously “You ditched me!!”
In short, Heart Eyes isn’t very scary and the stakes aren’t particularly high, and that’s fine. The HEK sort of looks ridiculous, anyway. With its glowing pink heart eyes and sudden ineptitude when it comes to the two leads, they’re more of a joke than a serious threat. That extends to the supporting cast, who are all just playing into the horror tropes. Horror vets Jordana Brewster (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) and Devon Sawa (Final Destination) show up as cops on the case, jokingly named Hobbs & Shaw after the Fast & Furious spinoff. Brewster’s character is on all of the dating apps but complains that she can’t find the right guy, while Sawa’s is all machismo and toxic male energy. A nice reversal of tropes finds Jay, a sensitive, hopeless romantic, frequently on the defensive while Ally takes the lead in saving their bacon.
Heart Eyes has long-running franchise written all over it. You could easily see someone else become the HEK and stalk another pair of lovebirds. It’s coming out at the right time of year, and couples who like to be scared and laugh together will get a kick out of it. Hardcore horror fans may need something stronger, but others looking for a film that will have them gripping one another tight, Heart Eyes should do the trick.
Sony Pictures releases Heart Eyes in theaters on February 7th.
