Heart Eyes is the perfect combination of slasher and romantic comedy, delivering over-the-top gnarly kills, self-aware humor, and a sweet love story.
Creating a horror-comedy that works on every level can be difficult, and yet the team behind Heart Eyes has done just that. There are so many elements that go into pulling it off and if just one of them doesn’t work, the entire film falls apart. But from the opening scene on, Heart Eyes nails every aspect that it needs to.
This movie is very self-aware. It knows exactly what it is, as do all the actors involved. When it comes to meta references, they tend to focus more on romantic comedies than slasher films. Sort of like what Scream does with the horror genre. Which is funny to say because Mason Gooding also stars in Heart Eyes. The poor guy cannot catch a break running from serial killers.
That said, his character in this film, Jay, is different enough from Scream‘s Chad to feel fresh and unique. This speaks to the talent that Gooding has. He can be in two very similar franchises and yet give viewers a whole new performance. Impressive is an understatement.
Gooding stars in Heart Eyes alongside Olivia Holt, who plays Ally. The two have an adorable meet cute but things quickly go off the rails when a serial killer who stalks couples on Valentine’s Day comes to town. Holt and Gooding are electric together. They really nail all the tropes needed for a successful romantic comedy. They are believable in this will they, won’t they situation. I would love to see more of them together on screen.
You can’t have a good horror-comedy without epic kills, however. Thankfully Heart Eyes got this memo and delivers on surprising, over-the-top, unique, ridiculous murders. The movie starts off strong in this department and never slows down. It is this aspect of Heart Eyes that makes me want to see it as a franchise. Give me all the movies, keep them coming, just like Scream. I will be seated day one for every single one of them.
This movie is an absolute blast. The choice of music, the right amount of suspense, and a killer reveal that fits the vibe of the movie – Heart Eyes nailed everything that it needed to and more.
Between Companion, The Monkey, and Heart Eyes, there are a lot of theatrical releases for fans of horror-comedies this month. Each of them is worth your money and time, so I beg of you, do not choose one over the others and support all three of these great films in theaters.
The perfect blend of slasher and rom-com, this movie has over the top kills and jokes that always land.
NEXT: Companion Review: An Exploration Of Abusive Relationships
About Heart Eyes
For the past several years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. This Valentine’s Day, no couple is safe…
