Ahh Valentine’s Day, A Day for Love, Togetherness, and Murder
By: Amanda Musto
Do you like horror? Do you like romance? Do you like to laugh? If so, then Heart Eyes is the movie for you. If not, well then keep it moving.
This new film is listed as horror/romance, but I think whoever categorized that did not realize that it has such a high laugh factor, and it should have comedy on that list as well. While romance and comedy are not the usual aspects to have in a horror film, it all worked so well in this one. The movie was a hit, earning it a five-star review from me.
I went into the movie with high hopes because of the lead actors, Olivia Holt (Totally Killer, Cruel Summer) who plays Ally McCabe and Mason Gooding (Scream, Scream IV) who plays Jay Simmons. Mason may be a nepo baby since his father is Cuba Gooding Jr, an excellent actor, but Mason has proved his worth and earned his spot in film and especially the horror world. On top of two perfect lead picks, they were also joined by Devon Sawa (Final Destination) and Jordana Brewster (Fast and Furious Franchise) who did great in their roles as detectives Hobbs and Shaw.
I give this film such high praise for the acting alone. The chemistry between Ally and Jay felt so real and natural. They both portrayed their fear so well, which made the audience believe they were really being hunted by a serial killer, not just acting like they were. Mason has such a natural charisma and sense of humor that translated well in his character and Olivia was able to mirror it perfectly which made her character equally as charming and funny. Throughout the whole film, the theater broke out in laughter multiple times, not expected with a horror film, but was due to how well Mason and Olivia did on screen.
As for the storyline of the film, I really enjoyed it and thought it was a fun take on a horror film. Every year on Valentine’s Day, a serial killer in a mask with light up heart eyes picks a new city somewhere in the United States and kills couples before disappearing until next Valentine’s Day. While his usual target is couples, Ally and Jay, who are just colleagues get targeted and have to fight for their lives, on a day that should just be filled with love. While the aspect of a killer coming out and killing on Valentine’s Day did remind me of the film My Bloody Valentine, this film had its own twists and plot pieces to make it different.
Even though some of the film had parts that were slightly predictable, as many horror films do, I was still hooked and the plot twist towards the end did actually surprise me. The ending of the movie was well done, not leaving the viewer disappointed or questioning, which is always a plus. With so many new horror films being boring, predictable, repeated storyline films, this one surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. The heart eyes killer was a nice, new face for the horror world, and I predict we will be seeing plenty of heart eye masks this later this year during the Halloween season.
