Sometimes a movie comes around that's just right up your alley, and for me, that is Heart Eyes. I had seen the trailer for this one briefly but really didn't know much beyond the basic premise, and I was treated to what will no doubt go down as one of the best surprises of the year, as I had an absolute blast with this.
Heart Eyes is directed by Josh Ruben but written by a team which includes Christopher Landon, the man behind some of the best recent slasher comedies like Freaky and Happy Death Day. This movie follows a serial killer called the 'Heart Eyes Killer', who's quirk is that he very specifically goes on sprees of killing couples on Valentine's Day. As a lover of holiday themed slasher movies I was already sold, but this takes a very fun twist on the genre by doubling as a cheesy romantic comedy. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding play a pair of new co-workers whom the killer mistakes for a couple, leading them on a night of romance and bloodshed.
The most prominent highlight here for me was the chemistry between Holt and Gooding. The balance between horror and rom com is very delicate here, but the two are ridiculously charming which allows the romance aspect to work really well. They're also both very funny, so while this is a movie with some serious gore, it's also pretty damn hilarious at times. The script no doubt lends a hand to that, as there are some real laugh out loud moments both in the form of traditional jokes, and in a meta play on romantic comedy tropes through this slasher lens. There are countless moments that are intentionally very cheesy, but that clear self awareness makes these moments that could have been eye-roll inducing come across as very fun and earnest. Most of the runtime is Holt and Gooding being chased by a silent masked killer, but there are a handful of supporting performances including Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa that are a lot of fun as well.
Another thing I loved about this one is that I never really knew where it was going. It falls on a lot of rom com and slasher tropes, but also turns them on their head in ways I wasn't expecting. There is one reveal I clocked pretty early on, but for the most part I found this to be very refreshing in the different ways the story plays out. I must also say, while it dips its toes heavily in the cheesy rom com territory, this is still absolutely a slasher. It may trick you at times with its somewhat lighter tone and some romantic needle drops, but there are some absolutely nasty kills in this. As a lover of the horror genre, I very much enjoyed the practical gore, and as a lover of romantic films, I loved the self-referencial cheesiness here.
This is kind of the perfect alternative Valentine's Day movie. It's gruesome and gory, but at its heart is a love story that constantly calls back to the classics in a very endearing way. This is also the second Mason Gooding horror comedy with a very clear Hobbs & Shaw reference, a trend I find very strange but also quite fun. To summarize, give this one a shot, it's a truly fun time from start to finish with a ton of charm from its two leads and a refreshing blend of horror and romance that I really loved. 4/5
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