Directed by Josh Ruben & written by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy, Heart Eyes follows a masked maniac with glowing, red, heart eyes who returns every Valentine’s Day to terrorize unsuspecting couples. The film stars Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster.

I can’t say I was looking forward to a slasher anytime soon. I enjoyed them a lot more when I was a teenager, but in recent years, I have found them to be too bleak for my taste. To my surprise, this one was fun from start to finish. Due to how light-hearted and comedic it can be, I am not surprised to see where this isn’t for everyone. Coming from writer Christopher Landon as a writer, I am also not surprised by its tone. The film’s tone is what works best for the film.

Olivia Holt & Mason Gooding star in the lead roles, and I have not seen such strong chemistry between two leads in quite a while. They are so likable & charming. The casting department did a superb job putting these two together. Under Josh Ruben’s direction, he creates a foundation between the two before chaos ensues. That’s what helps us feel even more gravitated towards what happens to them. There’s a surprising amount of development between the two that may not be for anyone who wants straight up slasher, but to me, it helps it stand out amongst the rest of the slasher movies. I know what I said about slasher movies being bleak, and I did not feel this way at all.

It was refreshing to see Jordana Brewster & Devon Sawa here. Viewers might be most familiar with the two from Fast & Furious and Final Destination, respectfully. It’s nice to see Brewster have a big role outside of the popular franchise, and it’s nice to see Sawa in another horror movie. The Fast & Furious reference was also hilarious. I had that spoiled to me beforehand unfortunately, and I wish that wasn’t the case. This is the kind of movie that you need to go blind into.

As for the big twist, it’s unique, but it’s also somewhat predictable. When you go into a slasher movie wondering who the big killer is, you’re looking at everyone as a suspect. The film makes it clear with some big hints as to who it can be, but it also makes you second guess yourself, similar to how My Bloody Valentine did. It leads into a cliche third act where the villain speaks their motives before following through with their plan. I am tired of that trope where the villain has to explain everything, which gives the heroes plenty of time to overcome the villain. On the other hand, I thought it was quite fun. It felt like a homage to a lot of other 90’s slashers.

Speaking of homage, this is a film that respectfully homages other great slashers before it. There is a shot similar to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that you may have seen in the trailer. One of the main reasons I try to avoid trailers as they spoil too much. On the other hand, I guess it’s a good way to convince people to see this. There’s also another scenes where the Heart Eyes killer is chasing Olivia Holt’s character, and the music choice reminded me a lot of Psycho. The film also acknowledges other romantic movies which can make it even more comedic and light-hearted.

There is a convenient plot hole that I know I am reading too much into. Without giving much away, the start of the film makes it clear that the killer has attacked other parts of the country. As it so happens, the same killer has attacked places that Mason Gooding has been to. First off, I have no idea how the killer made that work to set Gooding up. Second, you’d think Gooding’s character would not want to be romantically involved because of this. I honestly thought at one point it might be someone Gooding has a connection with, but that’s not the case. In the end, I think the film does a good job at explaining the motives, even if I would have liked to have seen the conception of this killer explored more.

From what I have seen, this film hasn’t been doing quite well. That seems to always be the case for any movie opening Super Bowl weekend. Maybe it will do better over Valentine’s Day weekend. If it does, I’d love to see a sequel of this that further explores the origins of the killer in other parts of the country. If not, I like how the film ends with something conclusive.

Overall, Heart Eyes exceeded my expectations to deliver something fun & unique with two charismatic leads and respectful homages to the genres. The tone may not be for everyone, but for someone who needs that, I can appreciate it even more. It’s far funnier than I could have ever imagined. I won’t be upset if a sequel ever happens, but I’m also satisfied with what we got here.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)