For the last several years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has been wreaking on random cities across the country, targeting, stalking, and murdering couples on Valentine’s Day. An excellent setup for a slasher? Absolutely. And a great setup for a legitimately good and funny rom-com? Well, actually, surprisingly, also yes. Heart Eyes is both fully a horror-slasher and a complete romantic comedy. It’s a unique mashup.
The Scream movies are funny, and have some romantic subplots. But they never go all in on either. Happy Death Day had some strong rom-com elements, but even there it didn’t wholly commit like Heart Eyes does. The Happy Death Day similarities make a lot of sense, as Michael Landon – who directed Happy Death Day – co-wrote Heart Eyes, along with Phillip Murphy and Michael Kennedy. Add in director Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within), and the creatives behind the movie have plenty of experience in the horror-comedy playground, and that experience pays off big time.
We open, as we do with so many of our favorite slashers, with some gnarly kills, setting the tone for what’s to come on the slasher side of things. But it’s set against a completely cheesy, over-the-top proposal, also perfectly setting up that part of the movie. Right from the jump, you know exactly what you’re in for. The two might seem directly opposed to each other, but with the right team in front of and behind the cameras, it’s a killer (I’m sorry) combination.
Our marks are Seattle marketing executive Ally (Olivia Holt) and freelance marketing consultant Jay (Mason Gooding). Jay is brought in to save the day after Ally’s latest campaign falls flat. Releasing a series of ads focusing on doomed lovers (“Til death do us part”) at the exact same time a serial killer who solely focuses on killing lovers will do that.
The two go out to dinner to discuss how to fix their the campaign, where they run into Ally’s ex. Ally, still hung up on him, pretends Jay is her boyfriend, and he plays along. This just so happens to be exactly when the Heart Eyes Killer (HEK) sees them, mistaking the two for a couple, and setting their sights on them.
Perhaps more than other genres, romantic comedies rely more on the chemistry between the leads. And Holt and Gooding are terrific together. Even though they’re not actually a couple, you can still buy it. And that’s key here, as HEK’s whole deal is specifically targeting couples. Not only do they work great as a pair, they both also nail each component of their roles: the goofy, romance side and the horror-slasher side.
Lots of the credit there also has to go to the screenwriting team and director. They know exactly when to flip the switch from rom-com to slasher and back again. They strike a very effective balance of the two. Heart Eyes never feels like it’s becoming more of one style movie than the other. For two genres that are so different, it’s a thin line to walk, and they toe it the entire time.
It’s funny when it should be funny, cute and cheesy when it needs to be, and tense, scary, and violent when the plot calls for it. And it isn’t just “cute funny” either. It’s legitimately funny, with plenty of big laughs. It’s in stark contrast to the scarier moments, making them hit even harder, when you quickly go from a sweet, romantic moment to a gory, violent one.
And Heart Eyes sure doesn’t skimp on the gore. And one of the bigger tricks it pulls off is not making any of it seem gratuitous. It all feels quite in line with the tone of the movie and the setup of whatever situations the characters find themselves in.
Even with everything Heart Eyes does so well, it still follows so many of the same tropes of both romantic comedies and slashers. There are moments where it all feels a little too familiar, and you have a pretty good idea you know what’s coming next. Gooding and Holt’s performances go a long way in softening those blows, but they can’t wipe them out completely.
But Heart Eyes biggest flaw is, unfortunately, it’s ending stretch. Even without getting into spoilers, I won’t get too specific, because I’m sure the conclusion will absolutely work for plenty of people. But for me, it loses steam at the end, resulting in more of an, “Oh, okay then” reaction. But it’s still such a fun journey to get to that point that it can only affect it so much.
Heart Eyes is a killer romantic-comedy slasher mashup. It plays the hits of both genres, while also poking fun at several of the well-worn tropes with some very effective tongue-in-cheek humor. It balances that out with tons of genuine laughs, countered with blood-spattering kills. Anchored by the terrific tandem of Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding, Heart Eyes is an absolute blast.
Grade: B
