Earlier this year, director Josh Reuben (Werewolves Within) and co-writer/producer Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) delivered Heart Eyes, a Valentine’s Day slasher that mixes comedy, romance, and horror. But unfortunately, it’s to middling effect as the film rarely finds a balance between all its ideas and tones. 

The film follows Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding), the latest targets of the deadly Heart Eyes Killer’s holiday rampage. Now, Valentine’s Day is a rare slasher setting that’s only been done a handful of times with films like Valentine and My Bloody Valentine. So, Heart Eyes instantly finds fresh ground to work off and lovingly injects Valentine’s Day aesthetic and fun into its slasher trappings. It all starts with the simple and satisfying design of the titular killer. Those LED heart eyes he’s known for are creepy yet oozing with neon delight, and his own twisted version of Cupid’s bow makes his brand of “love” deadly. He’s a genuinely fresh and memorable killer who could easily worm his way into the hearts of modern horror fans. However, there is a severe lack of themed kills that make his connection to Valentine’s Day underwhelming and subdued. The Heart Eyes Killer is just missing that extra level of morbid creativity to take his murderous craft to the next level. Yet, there’s still plenty of bloody deaths to enjoy and a massacre sequence at a drive-in that’ll have viewers roaring with cheers. 

Outside of the horror, Heart Eyes not only utilizes the decorations and vibes to give off that unmistakable aura of Valentine’s Day, but also takes aim at the holiday with its comedy. There’s a cynical tinge to how Heart Eyes captures Valentine’s Day that’s honestly really funny at times. The opening strips away the idealistic romance of a proposal for an influencer-fueled reality that’s hilariously cold. Ally and Jay constantly dispute what “real love” is and create some funny banter in the process, especially when it spills into them escaping this deadly killer. Heart Eyes loves to poke fun at the “reality” of Valentine’s Day and modern dating, but might overplay its hand. Although it can be funny and add some strong dashes of comedy within the horror, the conversations around love don’t have much depth to them. So, as these harsh remarks towards Valentine’s Day drone on, the film’s snark becomes tiresome. Its satire never makes an impactful point nor does it stand out amongst all the slasher stuff happening around it. 

Admittedly though, Holt and Gooding still deliver good performances that lean into the wild silliness they’re thrown into. They have great chemistry that make their characters’ romantic feelings very engaging, and they’re loads of fun to watch run from this determined killer. They’re as adaptive and fairly careful as you’d want any horror victim to be, and they work well with the film’s comedic writing, when it hits. It’s honestly surprising that even with both Reuben and Landon being involved, Heart Eyes struggles to be funny. Landon’s films are always a riot and if you’ve seen Rueben perform improv on Dropout, you know he’s hilarious. Here though, they miss far more often and it’s what causes the pacing to drag badly in the second half. Maybe they’re just a mismatch whose styles aren’t cohesive? But Heart Eyes rarely gets the laughs it wants to and things aren’t much better on a narrative front. 

In general, Heart Eyes tells a decent story at best with its fairly basic slasher storyline. As said before, it’s fun to watch Holt and Gooding run around as these characters, and there’s just enough horror sprinkled throughout to be tolerable. Yet, it’s still not enough and Heart Eyes doesn’t have the scares to satisfy genre fans. Even worse, its central slasher throughline is terribly bland. There’s too much focus on an obvious red herring, and the end reveals are downright terrible. It’s a lazily slapped together mystery that resolves itself  in an unsatisfying manner. There’s some gory kills that make the end stretch a little more interesting, but it’s not enough to overcome its unfulfilling concepts. Plus, the choice for who’s behind the mask is wildly unbelievable and poorly executed. It’s basically someone’s kink gone too far and the characters involved are just unremarkable psychopaths who leave zero impression. 

Heart Eyes offers just enough fun and bloodshed for those wanting to add more of a Valentine’s Day flavor for their slasher delights. However, it’s not much more than a middling thrill ride that never finds its footing with comedy, horror, or romance. It’s a solid watch, but don’t expect it to stick around long after the credits roll.

Watch the Trailer Here: