We don’t get enough Valentine’s Day slashers. My Bloody Valentine is the go-to for this specific genre, but I’m surprised it doesn’t get more in this niche every year. Especially since I can only assume any couple that loves horror movies together would much prefer this over Bridget Jones Baby (I’m still watching that next week). Hearts Eyes is, in a lot of ways, a straightforward film that doesn’t try to do anything too wild or reinvent the genre, but it’s because of the focus on kills and charisma between the leads that the film is as much fun as it is and one you should head out to see in cinemas.

Ally (Olivia Holt) is freshly single but still has notifications on her ex’s social media accounts. She’s also preparing for the worst day at work, expecting to get fired after she’s made a media campaign focused on romance and death, all while there’s a serial killer in Seattle going by ‘HK’ or the ‘Heart Eyes Killer.’ Her timing for such a campaign, to “sell blood diamonds”, as she also acknowledges, couldn’t be worse. Jay (Mason Gooding) has been brought in as a special press expert to fix her mess. Fortunate, or unfortunately, Ally and Jay had a very awkward meet-cute the morning of at the coffee shop, so they were off to a great start.

When the two get together for dinner, Ally thinks it’s to help salvage her job, and Jay thinks it’s a chance to get to know the cute girl. The two are mistaken for a couple, and the Heart Eyes Killer sets chase throughout the night, not leaving anyone who gets in his way alive.

The film opens with a somewhat drawn-out experience to introduce the Heart Eyes Killer as he murders social-media obsessed after a fresh proposal at a winery. The guy gets off relatively easy with an arrow with the head, while the girl gets smooshed into the colour of the wine. It’s a tone-setter for the type of violence this film is willing to go to, but the characters here and the pacing had me a little wary of what was to come. Thankfully, once we meet Ally and Jay, the rest of the film is well-paced with all the slasher-main-stays. There’s one scene in the middle of the movie at a police station that nearly fizzles out the tension, but things pick up right as they need to.

What makes Heart Eyes more than just any other slasher is the fantastic chemistry between Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt, who build their trust in one another in a believable way, allowing for some silly dialogue in odd scenarios that’s fine here in the genre, and build up to have actual feelings for one another. Both actors have recently been more background characters in the recent Scream films for Gooding and 2023’s Totally Killer for Holt; they show they both have plenty of charm to be front and centre of the camera in their performances in Heart Eyes.

I was surprised by the level of violence that Heart Eyes is happy to implore. I may have read the ‘comedy/horror’ vibes too heavily in the first trailer, but there are some great kills in here to start horror fans off for 2025. One near the end of the film takes its time to linger just long enough to get as much out of the practical effects team as they deserve where a head truly does roll.