“Heart Eyes” is a horror and romantic comedy centering around coworkers Ally played by Olivia Holt and Jay played by Mason Gooding. Directed by Josh Ruben, who also directed “Scare Me” (2020) and “Werewolves Within” (2021), Heart Eyes was released earlier this month for Valentine’s Day and for a horror movie has done well at the box office.
Ally and Jay wind up together on Valentine’s Day and in the sights of the Heart Eyes Killer. This masked killer has stalked and murdered couples on Valentine’s Day for the past three years in several cities across the country.
Ally asks Jay to pretend to be her boyfriend to try and make her ex-boyfriend jealous. The killer sees them kiss and starts pursuing them.
The killer attacks Ally and Jay and he chases them into an abandoned park. The killer separates them and chases Ally to an old carousel.
Seconds away from being killed, the police arrive and save Ally. In some unfortunate miscommunication, the police think Jay is the killer.
The killer attacks a police station that Ally and Jay are at, and they desperately try to convince the killer that they are not a real couple. Despite their pleas, he continues to chase them around the city.
As they flee from the killer, Ally and Jay accidentally lead him to a Valentine’s fair filled with potential victims for the killer. Unfortunately, some other couples are caught in the crossfire and fall victim to the Heart Eyes Killer.
Deciding to try and save other couples, Ally and Jay fight back against the killer. In a final showdown, the Identity of the killer is revealed and Ally and Jay try and put a stop to the killing spree.
I really enjoyed “Heart Eyes.” Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt have great chemistry together and they do an incredible job of selling the romance between their characters. While they hide at the fair, they share a deep moment of what love means to them and how they are begining to have feelings for each other.
It also has some incredible practical effects, gore, and a new and memorable mask for the killer. The bright red glow of the heart shaped eyes on the mask greatly compliments and stands out against the darkness of the sets in the movie.
There were also a lot of references to other horror movies that worked well in “Heart Eyes.”
The most obvious reference is to “Scream,” but towards the end of the movie, there was a very cool reference to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” from 2003.
“Heart Eyes” was also very funny and had the other members of the audience and I laughing throughout the movie. Every time Jay and Ally tried to convince the killer that they were not a couple got a big laugh out of my theatre.
My one gripe with “Heart Eyes” is the reveal of who the killer is and their motive. I will blame the “Scream” franchise for this as I have been so spoiled by their amazing killer reveals and motives. “Heart Eyes” leaves me wanting more in that department.
Other than that one issue, I really did enjoy “Heart Eyes.” The entire cast and crew did an outstanding job, and their passion shined through their final product. Putting aside the gore, it is still a great Valentine’s Day movie and perfect for anyone’s date night.