HEART EYES
(director: Josh Ruben; screenwriters: Christopher Landon, Phillip Murphy, Michael Kennedy; cinematographer: Stephen Murphy; editor: Brett W. Bachman; music: Jay Wadley; cast: Alex Walker (Patrick), Lauren O;Hara (Adeline), Latham Gaines (Nico), Alex McColl (Stunt ddouble HEK), Mason Gooding (Jay), Olivia Holt (Ally), Gigi Zumbado (Monica), Jordana Brewster (Det. Jeanine Shaw), Devon Sawa (Det. Zeke Hobbs), Michaela Watkins (Crystal Cane); Runtime: 97; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Christopher Landon, Greg Gilreath, Adam Hendricks; Screen Gems; 2025)
“An uneven mashup film.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A schlocky genre knockoff slasher Valentine’s Day film directed in a jokey way by Josh Ruben (“Werewolves Within”/”Scare Me”) and written by Christopher Landon, Phillip Murphy, and Michael Kennedy. It poorly blends together a cutesy rom/com story with a bloody serial killer horror story.
The Seattle resident Ally (Olivia Holt) works as an executive at an ad agency. Her job is in jeopardy after her snooty boss (Michaela Watkins) is unhappy with her latest project.
Ally accepts a dinner date for Valentine’s Day to discuss the work project with the handsome freelancer marketing guru Jay (Mason Gooding), that’s been arranged at her boss’s request.
On recent Valentine Days a psycho masked killer, known as the Heart Eyes Killer, gets off
randomly murdering with a crossbow or if that fails a butcher’s knife only real couples on the holiday.
The psycho wearing heart-shaped goggles stalks Ally and Jay on their date, not realizing that they’re not a romantic couple but are on a business date.
Meanwhile two comic relief cops (Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa) work the streets to protect the public from the serial killer.
I found the gags not that funny, the romance between the couple not palpable, and the jump scares ineffective. Without anything suspenseful or worth saying about the romantic holiday, I found it to be a sub-par copycat “Scream” film that left me yearning for either a well-made horror pic or a rom/com, but not for this uneven mashup film.
REVIEWED ON 2/22/2025 GRADE: C
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