HEART EYES is a 2025 horror comedy thriller directed by Josh Ruben, from a screenplay by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy. Ruben directed the 2021 horror comedy Werewolves Within (our full review here), now streaming on AMC+ and Shudder. Producers include Christopher Landon, Greg Gilreath, and Adam Hendricks.
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…
The cast includes Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, with Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster.
HEART EYES arrived in theaters February 7th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing.
As a horror slasher fanatic, HEART EYES hurt my soul. This movie was just not very good for several reasons, but most frustrating is the fact that it could have easily been so much better. I went in expecting an over-the-top horror slasher that was heavy on the comedic element, but this movie was just all over the place. One minute it seemed like it was trying to be serious, and the next it felt like it belonged in the Naked Gun franchise. I have no problem with the horror slasher genre dipping both feet in the comedy pool, but I do feel like you need to have a solid balance or at the very least a clear identity. HEART EYES just feels more like a roll your eyes brand of goofy thanks to poor writing and slow pacing making it hard to stay engaged.
I heard comparisons to the horror slasher Thanksgiving (our full review here) which had me pretty excited to be honest, but these movies could not have been more different. Thanksgiving was creative as it served up enough gore and brutal violence to appease horror slasher fans, but it also had the perfect blend of humor to keep things just light enough to get a laugh when it needed to. HEART EYES spent far too much time focusing on the two main characters making it feel like the killer was an afterthought.
Not only was the HEART EYES killer not scary or even intimidating at all, he was downright goofy in his attempts to claim his victims. In my opinion with a movie like this you need to find ways to build up the killer by having more of a group of main characters, that way he can slowly take them out one at a time adding to the threat of his character. Instead the majority of the film is the killer failing to kill two seemingly easy targets over and over again while taking out a few random people along the way.
I really felt like HEART EYES was in the middle of an identity crisis, because on one hand it seemed to be inspired by the Scream movies, but then it seemed to be trying to go more the route of an original horror slasher with the sights set on the potential for a franchise. It just felt like a mess as far as the overall tone, and by the end of the movie I was ready for it to be over, also I did have to pee really, really bad. Plus it is never a good sign when a 97-minute movie feels like it is dragging. Also the “big reveal” at the end was a big time letdown.
I didn’t hate the cast, but I did feel like it was a victim of poor writing. I did like Mason Gooding in one of the lead roles, although it did throw me a bit considering he was in Scream VI (our full review here) which I loved, and I struggled with the fact that HEART EYES seemed desperate to build on inspiration from that franchise but failed miserably. Olivia Holt was fine as she certainly looks the part, she just feels more like someone better utilized in a supporting role. I love Jordana Brewster from the Fast and Furious franchise and I thought she was fine in her role. It was cool to see my guy Devin Sawa of the OG Final Destination movie, but man is he looking old. Michaela Watkins (You Hurt My Feelings) is lowkey one of the best supporting actresses working today, but her role here was super strange and just felt out of place.
HEART EYES is not unwatchable. It does have some redeemable qualities like a cool mask that made for some great shots of the killer, and I did like how they attempted to pay homage to the horror slasher genre. The film also included top-tier production value. In many instances the characters made fun of themselves which is a common theme for this genre, and it did get a few laughs out of me. I also thought that for the most part the special effects looked great, keeping HEART EYES from feeling like a B-movie horror. I also enjoyed the soundtrack and felt like it fit well with the film.
THE VERDICT
A slow-paced horror comedy suffering from a glaring identity crisis, HEART EYES is a jumbled mess of slapstick humor and poorly executed slasher tropes. Don’t shoot the messenger because I wanted so badly to love this movie, and who knows maybe you will enjoy it more than I did, but in my humble opinion this is really just a slap in the face to the genre. To be honest I regret not just seeing Companion (our full review here) again. I’m genuinely upset this wasn’t better, just feels like a waste of great marketing. Feel free to still see HEART EYES in theaters, just do yourself a favor and keep your expectations in check.
TED TAKES RATING - 4.3/10
HEART EYES is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.