Fall in Love with the Latest Holiday Slasher Heart Eyes (2025)
Title: Heart Eyes
First Non-Festival Release: February 7, 2025 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Josh Ruben
Writer: Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, Michael Kennedy
Runtime: 97 Minutes
Starring: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Devon Sawa
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
Valentine’s Day is either the best or the worst day depending on who you ask and when. The volatility of the holiday makes it ripe for discourse about the ways in which love helps or hurts us most.
When workaholic pessimist Ally (Olivia Holt) bumps into hopeless romantic consultant Jay (Mason Gooding) at a coffee shop the world stops just for a second. Their brief flirtation is put down by an urgent work meeting Ally must attend, only for the pair to be reunited when Jay arrives minutes after her. Whatever connection the pair kindled is shut down when Ally is forced to re-do her entire marketing campaign with Jay overnight to meet a deadline. How was Ally supposed to know that “Til Death Do Us Part” wasn’t a good idea with the Heart Eyes serial killer on the loose in Seattle? Ally pays for her mishap when the Heart Eyes Killer mistakenly identifies the duo as a couple and stops at nothing to kill their romance, permanently.
Sugary-sweet romance with lean, mean slasher sensibilities, Heart Eyes goes for the throat in true holiday horror fashion.
Dropping a rom com setup in the middle of a slasher is a fresh way to bend both sub-genres that suffer from predictability. Sure, Heart Eyes leans into what makes these movies fun, but it also chooses to shake up the narratives a bit. While there’s still cute banter and creative death scenes to ensure aficionados don’t tune out, Heart Eyes merges the two sub-genres splendidly, allowing their respective quirks to shine. Bold declarations of infatuation seem sillier when juxtaposed with brutal kills that would make many a slasher villain blush while understandable arguments about ditching someone during a chase scene replace quibbles rom-coms are famous for. It’s not revolutionary but the elements surprising melt together forming a fun and energizing take on two typically standard sub-genres.
With clear chemistry, leads Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding spread charm like butter in a hot pan. Ally and Jay work partly because of their relatability and also because of their respective performers. Each has reason to love or hate the holiday, allowing for a universal message about the fickleness of love. Neither is too forgiving of the other when they mess up, at least immediately, and their undeniable chemistry makes it easy to see why they stick together throughout the carnage. Holt is a convincing lead, balancing cynicism with courage and disbelief at her situation. Her everywoman is every bit as strong as it is vulnerable. Gooding dials the charm up to ten, radiating all the comfort and wholesomeness of a romantic lead with enough spark to come through when the slasher gets slashing.
While nailing its genre beats is important, nothing is more critical to a holiday themed slasher’s success than its kills, and Heart Eyes isn’t afraid to get brutal. Grape crushers, flag poles, and a full quiver of arrows aren’t the only things up the Heart Eyes Killer’s sleeves. The film is incredibly comfortable implementing a variety of twisted ways for its starry-eyed victims to die while never straying too far from its romantic roots. Over-the-top and sleekly choreographed, the violence and heart-pounding chase scenes give plenty of ammunition to those wanting thrills on Valentine’s Day.
A predictable storyline and overly quippy dialogue make it a little harder to fall in love with every aspect of Heart Eyes. While it hits the necessary marks of each sub-genre well, the story itself is standard enough to forecast nearly every twist a mile out. This isn’t necessarily the biggest sin, but it does feel disappointing given the novelty of its concept. Its dialogue doesn’t help its case either. Stacked with multiple monologues that lay the camp on a little too thick, the characters of Heart Eyes speak more like caricatures of insufferable twitter users more than people. Thankfully, it’s not omnipresent but when it appears, it’s very noticeable.
Heart Eyes is a win across the board for horror fans, and general audiences too, seeking something different this holiday season. Great gore, gut-busting laughs, and a killer sense of what makes slashers so lovable makes Heart Eyes a certified winner. Sure, it’s a bit predictable and too on-the-nose with some of its dialogue, but it remains an endearing effort all the same. Make sure to come in with an open heart if you’re hoping to fall in love with a new horror icon this Valentine’s Day.
Overall Score? 7/10
