Heart Eyes

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In the grand scheme of the horror genre, my big "go-to" movies tend to be slashers from the '80s due to their incredible cheesiness and predictability, much like having a favourite carnival ride you keep going on. My favourite horror subgenre, however, is the vast array of horror comedy out there, which is usually able to poke fun at the overall horror genre while maintaining some proper horror aspect. 'Scream' may be the ultimate set bar for the perfect horror movie to fit my tastes - it has always been a personal favourite.

So, I'm happy to say that 'Heart Eyes' here, in several ways, reminds me of 'Scream,' or at least movies like it. I'd suggest 'Heart Eyes' is a touch more comedic-leaning, but for yours truly, that's usually a good thing. I love horror movies that I can laugh at and be impressed by with how creative some of the kills are, and this film delivers on both counts. While the film isn't exactly perfect, I had a really good time with it, and despite so many cliches throughout the film (most of which I'd claim are pretty self-aware), it's right up my alley.

The film opens by letting you know exactly what you're in for, as couple Patrick (Alex Walker) and Adeline (Lauren O'Hara) get engaged in what is meant to be the perfect setting for her. They have the "right" song playing on a small speaker; flowers are all around, and you even see her mouth along with the proposal speech he gives her that it's clear she wrote for him. These two make for the first of the film's victims, and we are thus introduced to the Heart Eyes Killer, or "HEK," whose spree continues for several years, every Valentine's Day, always in a different American city.

Bringing the story into the present day, HEK is now running amok in Seattle, WA, where our heroine, Ally (Olivia Holt), resides, recently single and working for a jewellery company for which she has just run a hazardous ad campaign involving tragic romances, which is problematic, considering the killer on the loose. After the debacle, Ally's boss, Crystal (Michaela Watkins), forces her to work with pro advertiser Jay Simmons (Mason Gooding), a handsome young man whom she encounters earlier in the film, and her best friend, Monica (Gigi Zumbado), pressures her to pursue.

When Ally and Jay meet to discuss a new ad campaign, HEK notices them and mistakes them for a couple (his MO is to take out couples), and the hunt is on from there. In the meantime, not-so-hot on the heels of HEK are detectives Jeanine (Jordana Brewster) and Zeke (Devon Sawa), whose last names I will not mention here, as it makes for one of the film's funnier if a bit cringy in-jokes. But even in saying that, the cringe factor here is supposed to be part of the fun, as illustrated in the film's aforementioned opening scene.

As I mentioned earlier, the film reminds me quite a bit of something like 'Scream,' and I stick to that, especially when it comes down to the big reveal, which was a part of the film that irked me due to its overall predictability. I sincerely don't want to say too much, but I wish the film ended on a particular spot that, in my opinion, would have been perfect and able to push the horror genre forward ever so slightly. That said, I could see what I wanted to see pissing everyone else off, so I'll bite my tongue, at least for now.

I love horror comedy, and Heart Eyes is no exception. I have my nitpicks about it, but all in all, I appreciated being able to see a horror movie that's a little more in my wheelhouse. Even a portion of that predictability I mentioned is part of the charm of slasher movies like this, and its self-awareness allows for a bit of levity to the cliche. It's a fun romp of a horror comedy that doesn't ask you to take it seriously, and as a result of that, I had a good time with it. This one's corny but in all the right ways.

4/5

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