Happy Valentine’s Day everyone; this will be a bloody one! Director, actor, and writer Josh Ruben presents his second feature film, the Valentine’s Day horror slasher Heart Eyes. Of course, Ruben debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival for Scare Me, where Aya Cash and Chris Redd starred alongside him in the film.
Heart Eyes does not have a complicated premise. For years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has targeted and murdered couples on Valentine’s Day. The story follows Ally (Olivia Holt), a woman jaded about love, who fails to impress her boss with her latest Valentine’s Day advertising campaign. Enter Jay (Mason Gooding), a freelance advertising guru who saves the day and helps Ally develop a better advertising vision.
The two end up working through the night together, filled with will-they-won’t-they vibes. Ultimately, they end up mistakenly being hunted by the Heart Eyes Killer all night. Even though they know they are not a couple, they must spend the night running for their lives.
“Heart Eyes does not have a complicated premise: for years, the ‘Heart Eyes Killer’ has targeted and murdered couples on Valentine’s Day.”
Heart Eye’s story is pure ridiculousness, but it understood the assignment. This could have been a half-comedy, half-horror slasher film like the Scream series. This took the genre further by blending rom-com elements with slasher films. It worked in a way that Warm Bodies revolutionized the zombie and rom-com tropes.
This lived-in world had a carefully thought-out setting where America is plagued by a serial killer. But because this is 2025, no one takes the Valentine’s Day killer too seriously. For two years, law enforcement has been trying to catch this killer; yet, in this world, kids wear Heart Eyes Killer masks for fun on Valentine’s Day. Our current society would treat a serial killer rampaging through the U.S. with greater seriousness, but we are also a society that has made memes and jokes about Luigi Mangione.
Director Josh Ruben clearly loves movies like Scream because there are so many references. He probably equally watches or knows a lot about Hallmark movies and reality dating shows like Love Is Blind. This film is not afraid to use many references to these properties and more, just with a bloody backdrop. For example, Ally’s ex-boyfriend just so happens to run into her and Jay at a random restaurant just so the plot can add some chemistry between Ally and Jay.
The standout performances of Holt and Gooding fit the tone of Heart Eyes. A good slasher or rom-com is only as good as its main leads’ chemistry. I had not seen Holt since her Disney run with Kickin’ It and Shake It Up, starring alongside Zendaya. But Holt was a perfect representation of Gen-Z adults trying to navigate life as best as she could.
Ally is environmentally friendly, sex-positive, and has an accurately depicted messy apartment. If you have seen Alex’s apartment from Love is Blind Season 7, you know what I mean. She is very human in her feelings of being caught up with her ex-boyfriend and finds dating repulsive ever since.
Gooding provided a great depiction of a modern man who is independent and well-put-together, both in fashion, physically and mentally. His only issue is that he cannot find love because he is a hopeless romantic. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that he is the mister in distress of the two. When Ally comments that Jay is fit and should be able to defend himself from the Heart Eyes Killer, Jay says to her while fighting off the killer, “These abs were not built for fighting; they are meant for cuddling.” The dialogue is so real in this sense.
“Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster’s cringey yet fitting chemistry as detectives Hobbs and Shaw adds to the film’s playful trope subversion.”
Speaking of fighting, violence and gore are other factors that make a good slasher film. This movie’s kills are very creative, thanks to good cinematography, makeup and VFX. Crafty Apes (The Holdovers, Only Murders In The Building) deserves recognition for a well-executed, visceral film. I appreciated one of the final kills in the film, where the camera sits on the kill in all its brutality, showing skin, muscles and connected tissues ripping apart. There are many moments where these gratuitous kills are perfectly shot.
Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster play detectives Hobbs and Shaw (yes, you heard that right), and their chemistry can be a little cringey. Despite this, their cringeworthy chemistry of awkward will-they-won’t-they energy was a perfect match for a movie that is playing with common tropes for the genre mashup. It is nice to see Brewster outside the Fast and Furious franchise, enjoying herself and playing a character with more agency.
By the end of the film, my face hurt from how much I was laughing. The balance of rom-com and slasher elements surprisingly worked and had a grounded zaniness to it. If this becomes a franchise like Scream, I would not be surprised. It would be hilarious seeing Gooding play a double role, since he is in both worlds of Heart Eyes and Scream. The chemistry between Holt and Gooding was a perfect portrayal of who they had to play. The portrayal of this killer was both meticulous and captivating. If you want a fun Valentine’s Day horror watch, you will enjoy Heart Eyes.