Heart Eyes (2025) delivers a delightfully twisted Valentine’s Day slasher comedy—an explosive mashup of genre tropes that’s pretty much “Scream meets rom-com.” Set in Seattle, it centers on Ally (Olivia Holt), an advertising designer recently dumped, and Jay (Mason Gooding), her new colleague who’s been hired to redo her Valentine’s ad campaign.
On the surface, Ally and Jay have nothing in common—she’s cynically anti-romantic, he’s ardent and smooth. But when they’re mistakenly identified as a couple by the so‑called “Heart Eyes Killer”—a masked serial murderer who targets romantic pairs—they’re thrust into a deadly game where their denial could cost them their lives.
The film kicks off with a chilling opening kill—an interrupting, arrow‑through‑a‑proposal scene inspired by real-life trends in engagement photography. It sets the tone for a movie that loves skewering romantic clichés while delivering gruesome, creative violence.
Justin Josh Ruben directs with precision, crafting suspenseful moments and jump scares alongside laugh-out-loud rom-com banter. Billboards in Seattle, corporate pitches, and a drive-in theater scene become settings for both flirting and frantic sprinting away from doom.
Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding have undeniable chemistry, anchoring the tone shifts from cynical snark to real emotional stakes. Their banter and evolving connection—amid pumped‑up chase sequences—provide a surprisingly heartfelt spine through the carnage.
The titular killer’s aesthetic is a standout: a dingy yellow mask with glowing red heart-shaped eyes, both eerie and pitch-perfect for a holiday-themed slasher. He leaves behind bizarre weaponry and signature kills that blend absurd creativity with horror spectacle.
Critics praised Heart Eyes for its clever meta-commentary and genre savvy. With a Rotten Tomatoes score in the high 70s and strong streaming traction post-theatrical, it’s gained momentum as a new Valentine’s Day cult favorite.
Heart Eyes is more than just a gore-and-glamor slasher—it’s a tongue-in-cheek meditation on the performative nature of romance, and how love stories can turn deadly literal when Cupid goes rogue. It's fun, bloody, and surprisingly affectionate in its horror.
