I saw Heart Eyes in theaters!

Hello all! I am back from Indiana! I hope you all enjoyed the posts I posted for you while I was AFK. I spent four days with my best friend and what I have come to see as a second family (i.e Jordan (my bestie) and their partner Dylan, as well as their sister and mom.)

Speaking of the posts I scheduled; I did one on the horror directorial efforts of one — you guessed it — Josh Ruben. Well, while I was up in Indiana, I went to go see Heart Eyes with Dylan.

First off, the movie viewing experience was excellent. We sat in front of these girls who must have been from the local university, who were an absolute riot. (Sure, they were talking during the movie, and I am someone who normally doesn’t like that sort of thing, but… The comments they were making were so goddamn funny.)

The actual movie itself was a delight! This movie is a true Horror Comedy (and it doesn’t claim to be anything else. Some people online just do not know how to read.) It has all the normal beats of a horror film like the cold open, a bloodthirsty killer, suspicions, death. But it also features the beats that make romantic comedies fun. A main character with a shaky relationship with the concept of love, the hot stranger, the comic relief, the gags, the arguing between the main characters. It had a lot going for it in both respects.

Before I go more into this, the main cast of the film includes Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding as the two leads (Ally and Jay respectively.) It features Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa as Detectives Shaw and Hobbs respectively, and Gigi Zumbado as my favorite character, Monica. It was directed by Josh Ruben and written by the team of Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy.

The movie sets up this delightful romantic comedy story with the backdrop of a serial killer’s annual Valentine’s Day adjacent slaughters. Ally starts the movie with two huge problems. Her ex-boyfriend finding a new girl and flaunting her on Instagram, and her ridiculous Valentine’s Day ad campaign… featuring doomed lovers that was received less-than-well in the midst of a looming serial murderer threat. Jay is the man called in to the company Ally works at to fix up the damage that the ad-run did to the brand. They have to try and work together to make a new ad campaign before Jay has to leave the next morning. The night picks up however as The Heart Eyes killer sets his sights of Jay and Ally even though they are not a couple.

Above is a spoiler-free summary. And below I will give you some more in-depth thoughts without giving away the major twists.

The inciting meet-cute and the scenario that drove our two leads together was brilliant. The meet cute was taken to extremes only a horror comedy could. No, I will not clarify. I love the idea of the doomed lover ad campaign! It was super funny and brilliantly executed. And the poor timing of the ad is even better! Jay exhibits the stereotypical air of confidence that most leading men have in romantic comedies. But the slasher element immediately gives him a suspicious and slightly uncomfy air. Meanwhile Ally exudes horror protagonist from the beginning, while also being the “super serious woman in business who doesn’t have time for love unless an ex is involved.”

The leads are amazing in their roles and seem to have really good chemistry with each other, leading to some really funny scenes. In a (still very “Fuck the Police,” but not like literally) way I thought that Hobbs and Shaw were decent characters and played by attractive actors (specifically in Devon Sawa’s case. Damn!)

The comedy really shined through for most of the movie, whether it was a confident action met with immediate karma, a very unsubtle attempt to hide a sex toy, or a character was caught holding the American flag; I genuinely enjoyed most of the jokes and gags in this movie.

I also liked how the romantic aspects worked, even though a few parts felt a bit iffy. It really did feel like the characters genuinely had a chance to fall for each other in a natural/if not bloody and adreniline filled way.

The Twist. I feel like the twist was also a bit convuluted. I did like everything up to this point. And it’s not that I hated the reveal! I didn’t. I do however feel like certain aspects of it needed more context in the rest of the film. Maybe other viewers will disagree, and this is fine. The twist was a good way to end the film. I just wish it didn’t feel… out of left field?

I really did love this film, though. And it really does show off all the talent and work that went into it. So Heart Eyes is an easy 9/10 for me. It delivered what it promised: a Romantic Slasher Comedy! It’s a good movie to watch with other people (Thank you so much, Dylan, for going to see it with me! And shout out to those women in the row behind me! I don’t know if they’ll see this ever, but they really did elevate the fun and experience for me.) It’s funny, and sweet. It’s got a decent amount of gore and kills to satiate the little slasher freaks like me out there.

Have you seen Heart Eyes yet? What did you think? Do you agree or disagree? And why? I’d love to know your thoughts! My next horror movie I am hoping to see soon is either The Monkey or Sinners. Two very different films, but they both look so good!