- Director: Josh Ruben
- Writer: Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, Michael Kennedy
- Stars: Olivia Holt, Alex Walker, Lauren O’Hara, Mason Gooding, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster
REVIEW
Horror and romance go together like chocolate and peanut butter, and Heart Eyes is the heart-shaped Reese’s peanut butter cup you’ve been craving. Director Josh Ruben (Scare Me) has blended a slasher and a romcom in such a perfect balance that any of the missteps are easily overlooked and, quite frankly, is a slasher romcom really the place to get nitpicky? I don’t think so. You came here for a good time and you will have a blast watching the Heart Eyes Killer, or HEK if you’re nasty, expertly dispatch of all of those people on Valentine’s Day that we all openly hate. Really, HEK is doing a bit of a public service: for the past two years, he has been killing couples on Valentine’s Day and this year he’s bringing his reign of terror to Seattle, Washington.
After a super fun cold open that will have you re-thinking a winery visit, we meet Final Girl Ally (Olivia Holt) on what may be the worst day of her career and Final Boy Jay (Mason Gooding) just coasting though another day of life on his intelligence and good looks. After a meet cute in a coffee shop, these two will find themselves unwittingly forced together while they try to fend off HEK. Thrown in the mix are detectives Zeke Hobbs (Devon Sawa) and Jeanine Shaw (Jordana Brewster) who are just as overly confident in their serial killer catching skills as the movie franchise their names references is overly confident in it’s lead actor’s ability to carry a franchise.
Holt (Totally Killer) is excellent as a whip smart modern woman who knows what she wants, doesn’t apologize for it and can kick ass when confronted with a serial killer hiding in her closet. In fact, her toxic trait of “I can do it myself” is the main thing that causes Gooding’s (Scream 5 & 6) character so much bodily harm. These two are a horror version of Walter and Hildy from His Girl Friday (a film that has it’s own supporting role in the movie); the charm is off the charts and the comedy is quick. Not to be outdone, Sawa (Final Destination) and Brewster (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) are also delightful as a mismatched team who bicker like it’s an olympic sport. In fact, every character operates at the exact perfect level of comedy and cynicism. The sassy best friend (a hilarious Gigi Zumbado), the taxi driver, the waiter, the cranky police woman and innocent bystanders at a drive in movie are all cute pieces of a delightful puzzle that may not be particularly difficult to piece together, but the camp makes it all go down so smoothly and even the most hardened horror fan will enjoy the ending.
Heart Eyes is a bit of a patchwork quilt of other film references, but they are all so respectfully and lovingly done that it simply adds to the charm. From The Silence of the Lambs night vision goggles to the dramatic Crow church entrance, Ruben pays homage to countless slashers and romcoms while maintaining his own vision and delivering some clever, gory kills and a new killer who is sure to be added to the family dinner table alongside Michael, Jason, Freddy and Ghostface. Heart Eyes is a new holiday classic that will undoubtedly become yearly viewing and would make an awesome double feature with My Bloody Valentine for a great romantic night in.
Lisa Fremont
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