Sony Pictures
As spoiled for choice as we have been with the amount of well-executed, R-rated elevated horror in recent years, sometimes, all you want is the blood-drenched version of cinematic (dis)comfort food.
After the success of Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, which cheekily revived the 80s slasher formula of a high concept holiday horror with a mysterious killer creatively dispatching their victims while wearing a themed disguise made for merchandising, horror fans rejoiced as this cornerstone of the slasher genre seemed to finally have returned to form, thus providing a delightfully disgusting type of slasher frivolity in a release bracket that has otherwise been dominated by lazy, PG-13-rated dreck for much too long.
With 1981’s My Bloody Valentine already holding the place as the ultimate Valentine’s Day-themed slasher, it is difficult to leave the hearts of fans of the seasonal slasher all aflutter, and Heart Eyes wisely does not try to contend with the terror of the 1981 classic, but instead takes the route of a campy, R-rated horror comedy soaked in copious amount of blood and guts.
Here, we are introduced to Olivia Holt’s Ally and Mason Gooding’s Jay in a sitcom-esque meet-cute, and after one thing leads to another, the two suddenly find themselves stalked by the Heart Eyes Killer, a mysterious figure that appears every Valentine’s Day to ruin dates in the worst ways imaginable.
Holt and Gooding share a playful chemistry, and their knack for comedic timing make them easily watchable, just as they largely make believable and mostly wise character choices, which makes it easy for the viewer to invest in the pair and their ordeal.
Tonally, the film effortlessly jumps between humor and horror without becoming particularly jarring, ensuring that comedy, tension and gore are happily married in a straightforward narrative that is both familiar and fresh.
With its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, Heart Eyes gleefully slashes its way through its 97-minute runtime, and while the plot is hardly the epitomé of screenwriting, the film nonetheless has a carefree, raucous energy that makes it a perfectly entertaining – if ultimately disposable – bit of fun for fans who have a soft spot for the onslaught of cookie cutter slashers that followed after the release of 1996’s megahit Scream.
Not unlike its formulaic forebears, Heart Eyes begins to lose steam in the third act, and the finale plays out in a campy fashion with set dressing that would not have been amiss in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which at best showcases the filmmakers’ self-awareness, and at worst leaves the viewer feeling dissatisfied.
Fun and frivolous to a fault, Heart Eyes is not quite able to leave a lasting impression, however, if you are looking for a horror film that does not require much in the way of commitment, you could certainly do much worse, and it seems likely we will get a second date with the Heart Eyes Killer in a sequel.
Rating: 6 out of 10.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login