What happens when you blend a romantic meet cute, a murder mystery and a killer of love into one 90-minute film? You get “Heart Eyes,” a new romantic-comedy/slasher starring Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding. From the producers of the Scream franchise, “Heart Eyes” is a campy ride, with a few interesting plot twists.
“Heart Eyes” follows Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding) as they meet, fall in love and become the target of the Valentine’s Day themed murderer, Heart Eyes. Ally, an environmentally conscious branding agent for a large jewelry corporation, faces severe heat from her boss after her ‘doomed lovers’ campaign releases when Heart Eyes strikes for the third year in a row. Jay, a lover of love, is called in to help save the campaign, causing tensions to run high between the two.
To make matters worse, while trying to develop a new campaign, the two catch the eye of the Heart Eyes murderer and spend Valentine’s Day constantly trying to escape his grasp. Despite Heart Eyes only killing couples, he seemingly becomes obsessed with the two.
While “Heart Eyes” doesn’t necessarily carry a deep message about love and the intimate desire to find your ‘person,’ it does have a few warnings about how love can cloud one’s judgement. At the start of the film, despite numerous warnings from officials and the authorities, every couple in town goes out to celebrate, and many of them are swiftly murdered in unexpected and frankly creative ways. Even the leads fall into the trap of love, making rash decisions in the name of it by the end of the film, despite a mass murderer being on the loose. I won’t spoil the ending for you but like many slashers that came before, the reveal of Heart Eyes comes with a round of laughter, a kink discovery and a few eye rolls.
To make it clear, I loved this film. At one point, Heart Eyes cuts the power to a building, making his way around with red-tinted night vision eyewear. If that doesn’t scream slasher cinema, I’m not sure what does.
Additionally, Holt and Gooding have easy chemistry with one another as leads, making their snappy remarks, arguments and sincere conversations all the more entertaining. Gooding’s character is perhaps one of the most sassy characters I have seen in the last few years and he nails every ridiculous line. Holt makes waves in the film, and with a history of Disney Channel and Freeform hits throughout her career, her big screen leading role debut is a joy to watch. Rounded out with supporting cast like Ally’s best friend, Monica (Gigi Zumbado) and the leads’ Southern boss, Crystal (Michaela Watkins), “Heart Eyes” is laugh after laugh.
Like many of the Scream films, “Heart Eyes” is campy, self-aware and ridiculous. However, these qualities mixed with the unique idea of creating a Valentine’s slasher make it a great time. Whether you’re alone, with friends or with a romantic partner, “Heart Eyes” is a must watch this Valentine’s Day.
“Heart Eyes” is now in theaters.
