It’s a bloody good pairing for a holiday we love and hate.

By Isabella Iula

Coupling up romantic comedies (rom-coms) and slashers may sound like a match made in hell, but Heart Eyes proves that opposites attract. At first glance, the two genres may seem like they are worlds apart with their staple tropes, tones and story arcs. However, director Josh Ruben, best known for his comedy horror fusions, throws the unlikely pair in a blender and comes out with a deliciously killer romance. 

The holiday horror story sets its sights on a masked maniac nicknamed the Heart Eyes Killer or “HEK,” who stalks and slays couples on what’s ironically the most romantic day of the year: Valentine’s Day. For the past two years, HEK has left a bloody trail of broken hearts in cities across the United States. This year, the dark cupid has its bow and arrow aimed at Seattle, Washington. 

As HEK hunts the couples in the city, the audience meets Ally, a cynical romantic who works as a marketing executive for a jewelry company. When her design for a ring campaign reads less like a love letter and more like a eulogy, Ally’s boss, played by Michaela Watkins, brings in Jay, a hot-shot freelancer to help rectify the company. 

To save her job, Ally reluctantly partners up with Jay to create a new ring campaign. The two plan to strategize new ideas over a dinner that night, which happens to fall on Valentine’s Day, HEK’s hunting season. After mistaking their business meeting for a romantic date, Ally and Jay find themselves as the killer’s next target.

Starring the rising scream queen and king, Olivia Holt (Totally Killer) and Mason Gooding (Scream VI), the two actors combine their charisma and vulnerability to deliver a believable on-screen relationship while trying to outrun a serial killer. Their playful banter and confessional heart-to-hearts never feel forced as their natural chemistry oozes from script to screen. 

Heart Eyes shoots two arrows with one bow as it captures the warm, fuzzy feelings of a rom-com and the bone-chilling terror of a slasher. From the Hallmark Channel meet-cute to the slice-and-dice kills, the film aims to poke fun at the cliché storylines and character interactions of both genres at the same time. 

Screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy navigate the waters of romance, comedy and horror with ease without the plot feeling too redundant or dull. This clever script construction allows the budding relationship to blossom between the two leads, steering away from the short-lived tongue-in-cheek slasher romance. 

Besides the blood and guts, Heart Eyes piles on a real romantic layer to tie in the holiday theme. The film gives an impeccably twisted ode to Valentine’s Day through its brutally innovative kill sequences and Pinterest-board date locations including wine vineyards, merry-go-rounds and drive-ins. Heart Eyes also gives subtle nods to romantic canons like Pretty Woman (1990) and Clueless (1995) with its fantasy-worthy makeover montage.

Furthermore, the killer’s leathery heart-eyed mask and weapons of choice pay homage to cult classics like Scream (1996), and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). The only slasher element the film cuts short is the killer’s backstory. Some masked maniacs in these films have no logical motives other than pure insanity. But in the case of Heart Eyes, diving deeper into HEK’s past would have made the killer’s reveal more memorable. 

However, the pleasures outweigh the pain as Heart Eyes carves out gruesome thematic deaths, a swoon-worthy romance and nostalgic Easter eggs to make rom-com and slasher fanatics blush and gush. 

Whether you are searching for warmth or wrath on Valentine’s Day, this film aims to capture the mixed feelings associated with the romantic holiday. 

I’d say swipe right on Heart Eyes! The film, with a run time of 97 minutes, is now playing in theatres across Canada.

Watch the trailer for Heart Eyes below.