Do I have Heart eyes for Heart Eyes?

DIRECTED BY JOSH RUBEN/2025

Slashers have always been my jam–I am named after Tatum Riley after all (not a joke, I genuinely am.) And having grown up on CollegeHumor, I was really excited to see what Josh Ruben would bring to the table with Heart Eyes (2025). The idea of taking a classic slasher and giving it a seasonal twist is just so fun to me. We’ve seen it work before with films like Halloween (1978), Thanksgiving (2023), and Black Christmas (1974), so I was hoping Heart Eyes would add its own special spin to that formula—and I’m happy to say, it kind of does.

For me, though, a slasher of this ilk has to nail two things to really win me over:

  1. The perfect balance of comedy and horror – A big pet peeve of mine in horror-comedy is when the tone feels off. It’s hard to pull off, but when a movie swings between laughs and scares without missing a beat, it elevates the whole experience. If a movie leans too much into humor when things should be tense, I’m out. When I’m watching a slasher, I want to feel the fear when it’s time to be scared, and I want to laugh when it’s time to lighten up. It’s a fine line, and not every film gets it right.
  2. Creative kills and, of course, plenty of gore – Let’s be real, it’s a slasher, so I’m expecting some jaw-dropping kills. I want something inventive and gnarly, not just cheap tricks. Whether you love or hate franchises like Saw or Final Destination, they always deliver when it comes to kills and over-the-top gore, so that’s the bar I’m setting here.

With those two things in mind, I was pretty optimistic going into Heart Eyes, and for the most part, I wasn’t disappointed. I had a blast! It’s a lean 90-minute runtime, so it’s the perfect amount of time for a Valentine’s horror fix without feeling like a huge commitment.

The cast is solid too. Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Jordana Brewster, and Devon Sawa all do a great job, and I could tell Holt was having a ton of fun in her lead role. With Gooding coming from the Scream franchise revival, he of course knew what to do on-screen, so I felt like the duo worked well together. They brought a lot of energy to the film, and it helped the whole thing feel fresh.

Heart Eyes definitely hit the mark for me in a lot of ways. It was funny, it was gory, it was clever. And then there’s this unexpected romantic angle, which I didn’t see being such an integral part to the story, but it was a nice touch. The ending also threw me for a loop, which was a nice change from the usual slasher formula. 

But here’s the thing: While I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t say I loved it. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen films like Thanksgiving (2023) take that same blend of comedy and gore and really crank it up. Eli Roth took those kills to the next level, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I can still remember moments from Thanksgiving where I was in total shock. Heart Eyes, while fun, didn’t quite have that same visceral impact for me. Also, sadly, the big killer reveal felt a bit underwhelming.

Would I recommend this for a Valentine’s movie night? Absolutely. My theater was full of people laughing, cringing, and generally having a blast. It’s a solid movie, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Ruben expand this into a full-blown franchise. Plus, pairing it with My Bloody Valentine could make for one hell of a double feature this season.

My Rating: 3/5 | Follow me on Letterboxd