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Valentine’s Day On us again. This time last year I put together a roundup to celebrate the best Anti-Valentine’s Day movies For broadcast. My goal was to represent the other side of the Nordic romantic film coin. I’m sticking to that goal this year, but this time I’d like to highlight a mix of comedy, horror, and romantic comedy.
A horror movie For V-Day? Listen to me. I found a title that leans into horror and gore, while also flipping rom-com tropes and leaning into the meta fun that made Scream such a success three decades ago. It’s called “Heart Eyes,” and if you’re like me and want your Valentine’s Day entertainment to be laugh-filled and gore-soaked, you’re in luck, because it’s currently streaming on Netflix.
Read more: 40 of the best movies on Netflix you should watch now
The gist of the movie is pretty simple: a masked killer is terrorizing the streets of Seattle. His goal? Lovers. Or at least those who seem to be romantically attached. You can think of this slasher as a perverted version of Cupid, where arrows (among other things) are shot at their target. The intended goal here is to kill these people, rather than make them fall in love. But I think you’ve already figured it out.
These are the things that are actually in the movie trailers. If you continue reading, be warned: there is Main story spoilers less.
Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding star in Heart Eyes.
Heart Eyes targets a young advertising executive named Ally (Olivia Holt), who, when we meet her, is struggling both personally and professionally. She has an ex-boyfriend and can’t help but stalk him on social media. The timing of the jewelry ad campaign she heralded – in which the lovers die in various cinematic scenarios – also put her career in jeopardy.
Her terrible boss, Crystal (Michaela Watkins), taunts Allie in front of the entire team. With one chance left to right the ship, Ally partners with Jay (Mason Gooding), who is introduced as the company’s secret weapon. And to throw another twist into things, in true rom-com fashion, I bumped into him (several times) earlier in the movie, at a coffee shop in what I can only describe as a meet-cute worth watching.
Now that Ally and Jay are partners, they meet at an upscale restaurant to create a new marketing strategy for the product. It’s worth noting that they are in this restaurant on Valentine’s Day, surrounded by couples in love, and oh my goodness, they kind of fit the romantic bill.
But as they continue to insist that they are not involved and are not on a date, the Heart Eyes Killer sees it differently. And so, a violent rampage begins across the city as Ally and Jay fight to survive, while also – you know – falling in love in the process.
Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding star in Heart Eyes.
I suppose the film would not have worked without the chemistry between the leads. The argumentative banter and humanity underneath all the silliness really help ground the film and create a pair of heroes worth rooting for.
Although there is no final girl here, Olivia Holt proves her worth as a main protagonist. She was great in the time travel film Totally Killer, and continues to host Heart Eyes. Mason Gooding is a perfect foil to his character flaw and is given a lot more to chew on than what audiences have seen through his recent roles in the past few Scream films.
Heart Eyes puts a bunch of silly characters around its heroes, which works surprisingly well. Allie’s girlfriend, Monica (played by Gigi Zumbado), is the stubborn girlfriend every rom-com needs. The casting of Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster as a pair of incompetent detectives lends some levity to the film. They’re clearly having fun as Zeke Hobbs and Janine Shaw, respectively, as they make a little joke about a certain Fast & Furious spin-off starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham.
Heart Eyes is streaming on Netflix.
The Heart Eyes killer costume design brings the classic slasher aesthetic to life while adding a bit of new flair (those light-up eyes are a bit special, aren’t they?).
The evil killer delivers a series of bloody killings that will keep the horror-loving audience entertained. However, Heart Eyes accomplishes something here that’s not easy, at least not in it for me eyes.
Through all the humour, twisting of rom-com tropes and creatively horrific violence, the film maintains a love for the genres it blends together. Heart Eyes satirizes the consumerist nature of Valentine’s Day. At the same time, the film succeeds in celebrating everything that makes the holiday silly, special, and romantic.