Directed by: Josh Ruben
Starring: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Michaela Watkins, Jordana Brewster, Devon Sawa

Hollywood tends to take advantage of the seasons from a marketing standpoint and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Heart Eyes, interestingly tries to deliver on that V-Day niche, falling under the classification of Romantic Comedy/Slasher/Horror flick. Sounds like the ultimate date movie right?

The premise: In recent years, Seattle has experienced a slew of grisly murders of romantic couples by a masked serial killer nicknamed Heart Eyes, whose goggles are shaped like hearts. Meanwhile, Ally (Olivia Holt), an advertising creative is struggling with her latest Valentine’s Day campaign. Her boss (Michaela Watkins), in trying to salvage the campaign, hires young consultant Jay (Mason Gooding) to team up with Ally. While out at dinner to ‘talk shop’, they are mistaken by Heart Eyes as a couple and become the killer’s next target. Mayhem ensues. Romance and laughs, maybe a little but not much.

Ally is strategically cute, and Jay is appropriately buff but there’s not much chemistry there. Some laughs include a bedroom toy device and a reference to Jordana Brewster’s Fast and Furious franchise but not much else. For fans of creative gore, it’s a little more worthwhile but it’s not enough to carry the whole film. Now, whether it’s a fitting date movie would depend on the demographic it’s aimed at. In this case, middle school to high school sounds about right, even with its R rating (that never stopped a clever teen from seeing this in some form).

Heart Eyes is pretty light fare, with some gore to satisfy horror fans. Though it’s predictable to the core, it never once takes itself too seriously – and that is its best feature. Your date might approve this as long as you pay his/her admission price. However, with the overpriced nature of the concession stands, something like Soderberg’s Presence (2025) might be a better option.

So have you seen HEART EYES? Well, what do you think?

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