Heart Eyes is a horror-rom-com mash-up directed by Josh Ruben that arrives in theatres on February 10, 2025. The film mixes pointed jabs at familiar rom-com clichés with the visceral excitement of a classic slasher, turning a day meant for sweet nothings into a holiday soaked in blood and laughter. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding star as a mismatched couple whose Valentine outing spirals into frenzied chaos, inviting viewers to cheer for both love and survival.
Screenwriters Phillip Murphy, along with veteran genre voices Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy, load the script with knowing one-liners, bloody set pieces, and magnetically awkward chemistry. Heart Eyes never pretends to be high art; it simply asks the audience to stay strapped in for the jump scares and shrugs off the horror rules it lovingly points out.
Plot Summary
Seattles rains mask more than just couples strolling hand-in-hand; the opening act unfurls at a secluded winery, where two guests meet a gruesome end under the glow of a heart-shaped mask. With blinding speed and a trail of crimson petals, the unseen killer vanishes into the mist. News of the slaughter ripples through the city, transforming candy hearts and cheesy cards into eerie reminders that love, like fear, can cut deep.
Meanwhile, Ally (Olivia Holt), a bruised yet sharp-witted copywriter, finds herself partnered with Jay (Mason Gooding), an unshakeably self-assured brand consultant. Their shared mission is to salvage a Valentine-themed ad that, overnight, bloomed into a meme-for-the-wrong-reasons. At first their dialogue is all barbed quips and clashing ideologies about love, each convinced the other embodies everything they loathe.
That playful sparring shifts to terror after a long worknight when a masked assailant ambushes them outside Ally’s building. Jay is swiftly scapegoated for the bloodshed and carted off in handcuffs. As the killer circles closer, Ally realizes the spree may be less random than it appears and starts digging for answers. Reluctantly, she rejoins Jay, now a fugitive; together they track the psychopath nicknamed Heart Eyes, untangling a twisted braid of obsession, betrayal, and lethal secrets.
In a gripping twist during the films last segment, viewers learn that the deadly pair is Detective Jeanine Shaw plus an IT staffer who secretly tracked Ally and Jay. Driven by a warped mix of obsession and control, they arranged the murders to, in their words, cleanse the holiday of any false romance. The showdown occurs inside a candle-lit chapel, forcing Ally and Jay to outsmart and outpace the killers before another life is lost.
Achievements Behind the Camera
Director Sarah Grant crafts the tension with tight framing and deliberate pacing, making each reveal hit harder than the last. Her clear love for the slasher genre shows yet she molds it into something fresh and unpredictable.
Screenwriter Nina Cole keeps the dialogue snappy while weaving clues into casual moments, so the big reveal feels earned rather than forced. Her balance of comedy and horror also lets audiences care for the leads even as blood spills.
Production designer Leo Fadrique gives each setting a rich, tactile quality, from Ally’s cluttered office to the torch-lit chapel that later becomes a battleground. His work pairs with moody lighting and John Gilmores retro synth score to create an atmosphere both dreamy and dread-filled.
Josh Rubens direction keeps the movies odd mix of rom-com and horror balanced, letting neither mood swallow the other. Flirty exchanges slide into nail-biting scares with fluid cuts rather than jarring breaks. Sun-soaked lighting, pastel hues, and festive trim bathe early scenes in warmth, while shocks arrive under harsh shadows, swift camera whips, and claustrophobic close-ups that pull the viewer into the moment.
The slashert set pieces are both chic and grisly. Deaths unfold in unexpected backdrops-drive-in screens, rooftop ledges, candle-lit bistros-each murder blocked with playful precision. Because the bloodshed leans toward the cartoonish, the films satire stays fresh and the audience never sinks into despair.
The soundtrack churns together peppy pop, time-honored love ballads, and off-kilter instrumentals. Music comforts during courtship interludes, only to lurch into something wrong when Heart Eyes glides on-screen. Distorted romantic riffs sneak into the score, twisting sweetness into dread and keeping the hybrid genre in uneasy balance.
Heart Eyes proudly wears its slasher influences: inventive murders, lurking masked figures, and plenty of phony clues. Yet the film keeps poking holes in its own tension with pointed jokes. A clumsy proposal interrupted by an attack or lively banter about worn-out genre cliches appears every few minutes, and laughter seldom lingers long.
The killers heart-shaped, glowing mask captures the movies mix of whimsy and unease. Because the deaths land hard and the cast is actually threatened, the humor winds itself around something real and keeps viewers invested. Neither element cancels the other out.
Critics rated Heart Eyes with scores that hovered between mixed and generally positive. Sitters admired the leads chemistry and the splash of fresh ideas the picture brought. Many noted that it never forgot its plot while it sent itself up and still delivered a payoff. Reviewers especially forged the films trick of teasing both rom-coms and horror blockbusters without borrowing heavily from either.
Yet a portion of the audience sensed awkward shifts in tone, particularly in the last twenty minutes. Although the surprise ending is smart, it squeezes little time for characters to breathe afterward. Several love threads also feel rushed, and a handful of earlier punchlines simply miss the mark.
Despite some rough spots, the movie still carved out a loyal fan base among viewers who enjoy shape-shifting comedies like Scream and Happy Death Day.
💵 Box Office and Cultural Impact
Heart Eyes premiered just before Valentines Day 2025, letting it ride the holiday hype; with a lean $18-million budget, it returned almost $33 million during its theatrical run. The film later reached even more viewers on streaming, where it quickly became the go-to pick for couples looking to double-date with laughs and chills.
The experience confirmed a rising appetite for offbeat genre mixes and pointed toward a new fork in the road for Cupid-themed horror. Almost overnight, the glowing heart-mask mascot began popping up everywhere-in memes, Halloween getups, and homemade illustrations.
🎯 Final Thoughts
Heart Eyes commits wholeheartedly to both the romantic comedy and slasher traditions, and it does so with a sharp wink. Pair the charming cast, imaginative set pieces, and a final twist that rewrites the rules, and you wind up with a bloody good time that never trades fun for fright. Its flaws are real, yet the films relentless energy and sense of play mark it as a signature Valentines feature-and probably the next cult classic.
So if youre after a couples night movie that is equally sweet and a little twisted, Heart Eyes serves as a love letter to lovers and the delightfully deranged.
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