“We’re not even a couple!”
While St. Valentine’s Day is no stranger to the horror genre, with films like Valentine (2001) and both of the My Bloody Valentine films (1981, 2009) being some of the more popular movies in this vein, 2025’s Heart Eyes takes the beloved holiday into a humorous but very enjoyable direction. The film stars Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding as two advertising agents forced to work together to stop a relentless serial killer known as the Heart Eyes Killer or “HEK” for short.
Holt’s Ally McCabe, a young woman that has given up on love, and Gooding’s Jay Simmonds, a hopeless romantic, find themselves in a fight for their lives as they battle HEK. The killer has made a habit of killing multiple couples on Valentine’s Day in Boston and Philadelphia in the last couple of years, and has now made his/her way to Seattle to add to the kill count in 2025. Although HEK targets couples, anyone that gets in the way is a potential victim. HEK uses a number of weapons to deal out death, using everything from a good old-fashioned machete to a crossbow on his/her victims. As the body count rises, so do the feelings between Ally and Jay. Do they survive the most terrifying romantic night of their lives? Watch Heart Eyes to find out what happens!
I really enjoyed this movie. It has the perfect blend of humor and horror. It borrows heavily from the Scream franchise and Ghostface fans will quickly pick up on the similarities between the films. It was also nice to see Devon Sawa chew his way through the film as Hobbs, a macho detective hunting for the Heart Eyes Killer along with his buddy, Detective Shaw, portrayed by the always lovely Jordana Brewster. I don’t need to mention the fact that Sawa has been a staple of the horror genre for decades thanks to his work in the Chucky TV series and in films like Idle Hands and Final Destination, but it’s worth saying. Brewster is no slouch when it comes to horror films, either, having appeared in The Faculty and in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. There’s also a nod to her work in the Fast & Furious franchise as well. The rest of the cast has little to do in the film, but I did like Gigi Zumbado as Ally’s friend Monica and I always love seeing Michaela Watkins on the screen. She’s hilarious as Ally’s boss, Crystal Cane.
If you enjoy the Scream franchise or modern slasher films in general, give Heart Eyes a look. It has a great blend of humor, horror, and action and you won’t regret watching it. Hopefully we get a sequel to this film. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for it if and when a second film goes into production.
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