Heart Eyes, directed by Josh Ruben and co-written by Christopher Landon (of Happy Death Day and Freaky fame), arrives in the wake of the successful Scream reboot, clearly aiming to capitalize on the appetite for self-aware slasher cinema. The premise is certainly catchy: a serial killer—the “Heart Eyes Killer”—targets only couples on Valentine’s Day, forcing two coworkers, Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding), to pretend they are not a couple, even as a budding romance forms between them. This high-concept setup, which exists somewhere between a meet-cute romantic comedy and a bloody whodunit, looked great on paper but struggles to translate into a cohesive and engaging cinematic experience.
Tonally Inconsistent and Lacking Emotional Weight
The film attempts to skewer the clichés of the romantic comedy genre, but the execution is too broad and often misses the mark. Ally, a cynical advertising executive, and Jay, a romantically inclined freelancer, are forced together to devise a new campaign following the public backlash over Ally’s ill-timed, doom-laden ad pitch. While Mason Gooding is charming, Olivia Holt’s characterization is indistinctive, relying on limp monologues about her past. The intended “will-they-won’t-they” dynamic, which should be the emotional core, feels uninvolving because the script is satisfied with recycling romantic clichés and merely pointing at them, rather than cleverly subverting or building on them. The aggressive, unfunny comedy—especially involving the two detectives, wittily named Hobbs and Shaw (a joke that lands with a thud)—makes the overall tone jarring and frequently embarrassing.
Gore Without Suspense
When the film leans into its horror elements, director Ruben delivers on some inventive and pulpy gore. The Heart Eyes Killer, with their emoji-meets-The Collector mask, provides some creative and absurd kills, utilizing machinery and available objects. However, these bursts of violence feel discordant from the rest of the film. Crucially, Ruben, like many modern horror directors, is unable to generate genuine suspense. The terror often feels disconnected from the protagonists’ plight. While the idea of a relationship blossoming under the shadow of a homicidal maniac is fertile ground for dark comedy, the script, which shares DNA with the critically reviled Time Cut, fails to find the right balance achieved in Landon’s previous, better film, Freaky.
Predictable Reveals and Missed Opportunities
The film pads out its run time with side plots, such as the overplayed police station interrogation sequence that strains credulity just to provide screentime for Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa. The inevitable “Scooby-Doo reveal” of the killer’s identity is predictable and suffers from a lack of believable groundwork. Ultimately, Heart Eyes is a low-stakes affair that fails to conjure the fun of a truly successful slasher or the warmth of a good rom-com. It feels like an imitation of an imitation, less interested in reinventing the wheel than in keeping the engine sputtering. While the film may appeal to a very young and undiscerning high school audience, it pales in comparison to even the weaker entries in the slasher cycle it attempts to emulate, offering very little heart or lasting impression.
CINEMA SPICE RATING: ★★½ (2.5/5)
